Mia Khalifa, the model and former adult film star, was fired by Playboy magazine for making “disgusting and reprehensible comments” after she expressed support for Hamas following its attack on Israel.
“We are writing today to let you know of our decision to terminate Playboy’s relationship with Mia Khalifa, including deleting Mia’s Playboy channel on our creator platform,” the company wrote in an email to users of its OnlyFans-like Centerfold platform, according to the New York Post.
It continued, “Mia has made disgusting and reprehensible comments celebrating Hamas’ attacks on Israel and the murder of innocent men, women and children. At Playboy, we encourage free expression and constructive political debate, but we have a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech.”
Khalifa has posted on X multiple times about the conflict, beginning when she wrote, “If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid and history will show that in time.” When disturbing videos of the attack began to be shared online, she added, “Can someone please tell the freedom fighters in Palestine to flip their phones and film horizontal.” That post has since been deleted.
She later said of her post about filming horizontally that the “statement in no way shape or form is enticing spread of violence, I specifically said freedom fighters because that’s what the Palestinian citizens are… fighting for freedom every day.”
In response to criticisms about her posts from “magic truffles” company Red Light Holland, where she worked as a consultant, Khalifa replied, “I just wanna make sure there’s 4k footage of my people breaking down the walls of the open-air prison they’ve been forced out of their homes and into so we have good options for the history books that write about how they freed themselves from apartheid. Please worry about your sad little company lacking direction and purpose before you utter my name again. I stand with all people fighting oppression, now and always, do your research before begging for my investment in your little project, I’m from LEBANON, are you insane for expecting me to be on the side of colonialism you fucking weirdo.”
You can read some of her posts on X below:
I just wanna make sure there’s 4k footage of my people breaking down the walls of the open air prison they’ve been forced out of their homes and into so we have good options for the history books that write about how how they freed themselves from apartheid. Please worry about… https://t.co/sgx8kzAHnL
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) October 8, 2023
If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid and history will show that in time
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) October 7, 2023
If true journalism exists, the next person to talk to Kylie Jenner will ask for her opinion on geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and not break eye contact until she can string one coherent sentence together since she wants to take a stance to her 400M followers so badly
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) October 8, 2023
I have time today. #FREEPALESTINE pic.twitter.com/JxdD21ZsOz
— Mia K. (@miakhalifa) October 7, 2023
https://twitter.com/miakhalifa/status/1710722638975279537
(Via the New York Post and the Daily Beast)