Renée Rapp used her time on stage at Thursday night’s (March 14) at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards to speak her mind about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. While accepting the award for outstanding music artist at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles in front of a star-studded crowd, Rapp urged for an end to the hostilities that began after members of militant group Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, murdering, raping and assaulting more than 1,200 Israelis while taking more than 250 hostages.
“We’re in a room of very influential people, very privileged people, which is exciting and also a huge privilege to be a part of that,” Rapp said while reading a statement from her phone to applause from some in the room at the event hosted by Wayne Brady that also honored Niecy Nash-Betts, and Oprah Winfrey. “Having said that, I’d like to take the opportunity to show support and call for an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”
The “Not My Fault” singer and Mean Girls star ended by urging the audience to “continue to advocate for yourselves, continue to advocate for your friends, your queer friends and for those who can’t advocate for themselves.”
To date, Israel’s deadly military response to the Hamas attack has reportedly killed more than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank — many of them women and children — and displaced nearly two million Gazans as the war has dragged into its sixth month with no end in sight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire to end the conflict that has also caused a massive humanitarian crisis, with the UN warning that more than half a million Palestinians are facing famine-like conditions in the territory where nearly all infrastructure has broken down.
To date a number of other celebrities have also called for a ceasefire, including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Susan Sarandon, Kehlani, The Weeknd, Annie Lennox, Hunter Schafer, Hozier, Pedro Pascal, Angelina Jolie, Mark Ruffalo and Boygenius. On Thursday, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu, saying the hardline leader’s government “no longer fits the needs of Israel.”
Schumer, who is Jewish and a long-time vigorous supporter of Israel, said, “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after Oct. 7. In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election.”
See video of Rapp’s statement below.