For years, the entertainment press has been trying desperately to create a false “cancellation” narrative. In their imaginary world, it takes “courage” to join a hate movement. This week, former pop star Boy George exposed the lie — and immediately paid a price.
In the latest episode, I explain why the fallout from Boy George’s new song is such an important cultural marker. The episode also dives into the media disasters involving Anthony Fauci, and includes an interview with actor-singer-activist Jonah Platt.
The media wants you to think entertainment stars pay a price for “pro-Palestinian” activism. They obviously don’t. Case in point: Variety, one of the biggest Hollywood publications, published a fawning interview this year with actress Melissa Barrera. In their telling, the star of a Scream movie was “canceled by Hollywood” for “calling for peace” and “criticizing the Israeli government’s killing of Palestinian civilians.”
That’s not remotely what happened. She used the October 7 massacres to turn her social media channels into a constant stream of antisemitic propaganda. At the time, a few people in Hollywood still had enough backbone to do something. She was dropped from another Scream movie, and apparently “pushed out” of her agency. Variety, of course, tells you none of this.
Fortunately, the Creative Community for Peace kept receipts. Barrera shares posts filled with wild, nonsensical claims that go exponentially beyond what even Hamas is claiming. And one post said Jews should never be allowed to have a state.
Meanwhile, Barrera is doing just fine on Broadway, and her fellow bigots are still thriving in Hollywood. Take off-his-rocker actor Javier Bardem, who is somehow even trying to blame Israel for Spain’s Ceuta crisis.
Meanwhile, who’s actually being canceled? Jewish performers and artists. Their events are literally being canceled, as venues cave to antisemitic mobs or claim they can’t possibly provide enough security.
And look what happens to allies. Days ago, Boy George released a song standing up to the madness that has overtaken his industry. Titled “We Will Dance Again,” it stands with the people of Israel as they fight an existential war for survival against terrorists. (See the lyrics here.)
On social media, he said the man who has run his record label for years refused to release the song. “When someone is gutless it really does not hurt to say goodbye,” Boy George (George Alan O'Dowd) wrote. As a result of the backlash to his song, he had to pull out from a planned performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.
There are no violent mobs threatening events where Melissa Barrera, Javier Bardem, or any other bigots perform. That’s not a thing. Cancellations are going one way — no matter how badly the media wants you to believe otherwise.
JL
P.S. Part of the massacre Boy George refers to:
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