Comedy

‘Self-Loving Jew’ Eric Andre Clarifies Stance on Israel-Gaza

‘NO ONE'S TALKIN’ FOR ME’

The Jewish comedian is seemingly reversing course after signing a thank you letter to Biden for his support of Israel last October.

Eric Andre
Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Eric Andre is moving with the tide. Just six months after joining with a slew of stars who signed an open letter to Joe Biden, thanking the President for his stance on Israel, the Jewish and Haitian comedian has posted a new Instagram video, “Stop weaponizing antisemitism,” in a new Instagram post. “As a self-loving Jew, let me just say: Permanent ceasefire, end the siege on Gaza,” he added.

Andre has seemingly had a change of heart, according to his new Instagram video, which he posted in collaboration with If Not Now, a Jewish-American organization that aims to “end U.S. support for Israel's apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all.”

“Let Gaza live, impeach Netanyahu,” Andre declares in the video. “Jewish and Palestinian safety is intertwined.”

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“You do not need to cut off people’s water supply in the name of Jewish safety. You do not need to bomb universities, bomb hospitals, bomb ambulances, in the name of Jewish safety,” he continues, “You do not need to bomb children in the name of Jewish safety.” But social media has a long memory—and many users aren’t buying his new stance on the issue.

After Andre signed the president’s thank you letter, he had to cancel his 40th birthday party in March, after the New Orleans cover band cover band LSD Clownsystem he booked as entertainment quit the event in protest. Andre never responded publicly to the band’s post announcing they’d dropped out of the gig and requested that Andre “publicly redact his name from the letter,” “publicly call for an end to the occupation,” and “donate proceeds” to Gaza.

A few months later, Andre’s done all three, and says he’s “setting the record straight—no one’s talking for me,” in the video, as he directs his followers to several ways they can donate to Palestinian refugees.

For more, listen to Eric Andre on The Last Laugh podcast.