Disney Channel Alum Flees Instagram After Being Flamed for Neutral Israel-Palestinian Post
Selena Gomez said this week that she was “done” with Instagram after backlash against what in less rancorous times might have been considered a rather benign post.
The former Disney Channel actress and current star of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” posted on October 30 that she was planning to take “a break from social media” because she was distressed at the “horror, hate, violence and terror that’s going on in the world.”
“We need to protect ALL people, especially children and stop the violence for good,” Gomez wrote in the post, presumably in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza after Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack into Israel on October 7.
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Three days later, Gomez was back on the platform, but only to claim that she was “deleting” it.
“I’m taking a break and deleting my Instagram. I’m done,” she wrote in the Thursday post. “I do not support any of what’s going on.”
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Gomez’s Instagram was still active about a week later on Wednesday afternoon, but it’s unclear when she said she was “deleting my Instagram” whether she meant deleting her account or simply deleting the app from her smartphone or wherever she typically accessed it. It is possible she has done the latter.
Gomez’s initial post was apparently too neutral for some, who accused the actress of trying to be “neutral” only to protect her reputation.
“Selena Gomez is literally the 3rd most followed person on Instagram with almost half a BILLION followers. A post WILL make a difference,” wrote Pheobe Shafinaz on X the day after Gomez’s original post.
She did not explain how Gomez’s hypothetical post would make any difference, however.
“This is why I’m annoyed when celebs make a ‘neutral’ statement,” she continued. “They do it only because of their reputation. Not because they genuinely care.”
Selena Gomez is literally the 3rd most followed person on Instagram with almost half a BILLION followers. A post WILL make a difference.
This is why I’m annoyed when celebs make a “neutral” statement. They do it only because of their reputation. Not because they genuinely care. https://t.co/ZSgfDNdPfZ
— Phoebe Shafinaz 🤍 (@PhoebeShafinaz) October 31, 2023
Hollywood Life noted that Gomez had previously liked a post by comic Amy Schumer that was more decidedly pro-Israel.
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