Former adult film star Mia Khalifa has recently faced professional consequences due to her controversial social media posts concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict. Her posts expressing support for Hamas were met with widespread criticism and have resulted in the termination of her employment by both Playboy magazine and a Canadian broadcaster.
Khalifa took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice her support for Palestine. However, her comments quickly ignited a firestorm of backlash and condemnation. In particular, a post on October 7th where she requested, “Can someone please tell the freedom fighters in Palestine to flip their phones and film horizontal,” struck a nerve with many on social media.
This controversy led to Canadian broadcaster Todd Shapiro, who had been in the process of finalizing a business deal with Khalifa, to swiftly terminate their arrangement. Shapiro publicly cited the nature of Khalifa’s posts as “horrendous” and incompatible with their business partnership.
In response to Shapiro’s comments, Khalifa emphasized the importance of creating a historical record of how they liberated themselves from apartheid. Khalifa urged Shapiro to address his company’s lack of direction and purpose before referencing her.
She expressed her solidarity with all those battling oppression, both now and in the future. Khalifa encouraged Shapiro to conduct thorough research before seeking her involvement in his project. She reminded him of her Lebanese heritage and questioned the expectation that she would support colonialism, deeming it unreasonable.
Playboy magazine, an American publication, also took a strong stance in response to Mia Khalifa’s comments. The magazine decided to sever all ties with Khalifa, deeming her statements “disgusting and reprehensible” for seemingly celebrating Hamas’ actions in the Israel-Palestine conflict. As a result, Mia Khalifa’s creators’ channel on Playboy’s platform was deleted.
Who is Mia Khalifa?
Mia Khalifa, a Lebanese-American media personality, first gained notoriety as a former pornographic film actress and webcam model. She entered the adult entertainment industry in October 2014 and quickly became one of the most viewed performers on Pornhub within just two months.
Khalifa’s fame continued to grow, with her being the “Number 1 Porn Star” on Pornhub in 2015. In January 2017, she was the most-searched-for adult actress of the year. By 2018, she had become the most-searched-for actress on Pornhub. However, after retiring from the adult film industry, Mia Khalifa embarked on a new career as a social media personality, webcam model, and sports commentator.
The recent turn of events, where her support for Hamas and the Israel-Palestine conflict drew condemnation, has now had a significant impact on her professional endeavors, as she faces the consequences of her controversial comments on social media.