Tom Cruise Stepped in to Stop His Agent Being Fired Over Pro-Palestine Posts

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, there has been a growing divide around the globe over what is right and what is wrong, who can and cannot share an opinion on the subject, and in the case of Hollywood, who can make social media posts and suffer the consequences for sharing their thoughts. 

Recently, Susan Sarandon was dropped by her agency for comments made during a pro-Palestine rally and Melissa Barrera was dropped from her role in horror sequel "Scream VII" due to posts on her Instagram account being perceived as 'anti-semitic.' 

Moreover, top Hollywood agent Maha Dakhil found herself being relieved of her duties as co-chief of the motion pictures department at Creative Artists Agency, but she was allowed to remain an agent thanks to an intervention by one of her clients: Tom Cruise.

Dakhil found herself in the middle of a storm after sharing a number of Instagram posts relating to the ongoing Middle East conflict, one of which read, “What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening.” 

Cruise was said to have “made it known” that he was fully supporting his agent, and took the “rare step” of meeting with Dakhil in her CAA office on November 15 to double down on his show of solidarity.

While Dakhil was allowed to continue in her role as an agent, the incident caused a large rift among staff, with some threatening to walk out over the treatment of her, while others became “disillusioned” at the agent not being fired. 

At the same time, CAA was said to have cut ties with several others, including a staffer and two clients, over “incendiary anti-Israeli social media posts.” 

In a statement to Variety, Dakhil said: "I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language. Like so many of us, I have been reeling with heartbreak. I pride myself on being on the side of humanity and peace. I'm so grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the implications and further educated me. I immediately took the repost down. I’m sorry for the pain I have caused."