How calls for social media block are hitting celebrities

Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Adam Sandler are losing hundreds of thousands of followers on social media—and it could be due to their perceived silence or inaction regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The latest conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 when the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise attack on southern Israel. Israel subsequently attacked the Gaza Strip. According to the Associated Press, Gaza health officials said more than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 70,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began. Hamas’ initial attack killed about 1,200 people and about 250 hostages were taken back into Gaza. More than 1 million civilians have sheltered in Rafah, located in the south of Gaza Strip, the AP reported.

There has been mounting criticism online of those with influence not using their power to help those affected by the violence currently taking place. Many household names—from Taylor Swift and Zendaya to Harry Styles and Gal Gadot— are on the chopping block.

This trend started on TikTok, where it is also being referred to as “Blockout 2024” and the “digital guillotine.” Several accounts have been encouraging others to block celebrities on social media. This gained momentum after the Met Gala took place on May 6. That day, Israel began ordering Palestinians to leave parts of eastern Rafah, which had been a refuge for hundreds of thousands of civilians.

While this could explain why several celebrities have seen such a large drop in followers, a clearing-out bots and fake accounts, for instance, could also be to blame.

Another catalyst of the blockout movement was a now-deleted video uploaded by influencer Haley Kalil on the day of the event. She had been hired as a pre-gala host to interview those invited as they headed to the event. In the clip, she showcased her elaborate outfit and lip-synced the famous “let them eat cake” line from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, Marie Antoinette.

Kalil received backlash from numerous TikTok users as many deemed it insensitive considering the events taking place in Gaza. This prompted Kalil to apologize for using the sound bite and for not doing her “due diligence.”

Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Kalil for comment on May 14.

Others have compared the Met Gala to the popular dystopian book series, The Hunger Games, which author Suzanne Collins was inspired to write after channel-surfing between footage of the war in Iraq in the 2000s and a reality television show.

TikTok user @elis___stone posted a video with clips from the gala alongside footage of people in Gaza, but also of Ukraine and Georgia, with the caption “same planet, different worlds.” The song “The Hanging Tree,” written as a rebel song for The Hunger Games movie franchise, is played over the top. The video has been liked 6.4 million times and has been viewed 38.7 million times.

Social media users have cataloged the names of celebrities who are deemed to have a significant following and cultural influence but haven’t spoken about the events in Gaza, using the hashtags #celebrityblocklist, #letthemeatcake, and #blockout. Some are even sharing Google Docs they have created of those they believe ought to be blacklisted.

One such Google Doc that Newsweek has seen was posted on TikTok on May 9. As of May 22, it included 270 names of celebrities—such as Hailey Bieber and Jude Law—to block as well as 161 businesses. Some TikTok users calling for the blockout have thousands of followers.

“The ‘Blockout 2024’ initiative signifies a collective effort not only to unfollow celebrities but also to impact them financially for their ignorance or erasure of the Israel/Gaza conflict,” Zanetta Miller, the owner of Niche PR Boutique, told Newsweek. “It provides a strategic oppositional online protest where activists can participate without fearing professional repercussions, just by blocking celebrities and their brands/ads.”

“Recent protests, juxtaposed against lavish events like the Met Gala, illustrate the stark contrast between worlds: one flaunting luxury while the other grapples with famine and death due to the perils of war. Similarly, a ‘let them eat cake’ TikTok video posted by Kalil sparked outrage, shedding light on the detachment of celebrities from societal realities.”

Miller added: “In today’s digital era, celebrity silence on social issues is no longer acceptable. Public perception, celebrity sentiments, and brand alignment profoundly influence their following and financial status.”

Various Celebrities Affected

Newsweek looked at social media stats for a handful of celebrities that are live on Social Blade. This social media analytics website tracks followers on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. TikTok and YouTube followers are more difficult to track. Some social media users may have blocked accounts without having ever followed them.

At the time of writing, singer Selena Gomez had lost 1.16 million Instagram followers and 115,875 followers on X in the last 30 days. In October, fans slammed the 31-year-old’s “neutral” statement on the conflict. Gomez’s cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty, has also faced boycott calls from pro-Palestinian buyers over CEO Scott Friedman’s alleged support of Israel.

Gal Gadot has been vocal in her support for Israel, where she served in the Israel Defense Forces under the country’s compulsory military service. Gadot also helped facilitate an L.A. screening of a film showing the October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants. The screening was marred by a mass brawl outside the venue.

The actor has been featured in various people’s block lists online, and in the last 30 days she has lost 9,405 followers on X and 172,780 on Instagram.

Kim Kardashian—one of the many celebrities who attended the Met Gala—has lost over 973,000 Instagram followers and more than 54,000 X followers in 30 days.

Taylor Swift has lost about 400,000 followers on Instagram since May 10—including 103,611 on May 11 alone. In recent days, she has also lost tens of thousands of followers X.

Actors Michael Rapaport and Adam Sandler have also appeared on block lists—and they’ve also been losing followers. Both men were among a host of celebrities and entertainment professionals who in November signed an open letter to President Joe Biden calling for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.

Harry Styles’ name has been featured on block lists as well, but at the time of writing, his Instagram stats couldn’t be accessed on Social Blade. His Twitter followers have only marginally decreased. The actress Zendaya has also been a target of the “Blockout.” She previously expressed support for Palestinians via Instagram in October but has received criticism from some social media users for reportedly not sharing anything since.

While these celebrities are currently losing followers, they still have hundreds of thousands—sometimes millions—of followers on their social media platforms.

Newsweek has emailed spokespeople for Gomez, Gadot, Kardashian, Swift, Styles, Rapaport, Sandler, and Zendaya for comment.

While some have attributed these losses to the blockout, accounts of celebrities who have spoken out in favor of Palestinian causes have also been hit, according to Social Blade. Mia Khalifa has lost nearly 105,000 Instagram followers and over 25,000 X followers in the last 30 days. In the same time frame, Emma Watson has lost about 180,000 on Instagram and 53,000 on X and Gigi Hadid has lost about 200,000 on Instagram and some 3,405 on X.

Even though the blockout movement may be having an impact, this large drop in followers could also be linked to something as simple as Meta aggressively clearing out bots—and it wouldn’t be the first time. In 2014, Instagram scrubbed millions of spam accounts and bots, which resulted in people losing millions of followers overnight. The same thing happened in 2018 when Twitter (now X) cracked down on “locked” accounts, i.e. accounts with suspicious activity like excessive posting or that violated Twitter rules.

Will Blocking Celebrities Do Anything?

The rationale behind blocking celebrities on social media platforms is to affect their influence online and by extension their reach and advertising revenue. Whether it will affect their wallets is up for debate.

“I would argue that blocking serves as a more impactful protest strategy [than unfollowing], directly affecting celebrities’ visibility and engagement, thus impacting their revenue. The movement’s long-term efficacy hinges on its strategic consistency and avoidance of performative allyship, prioritizing authentic actions over social trends,” Miller told Newsweek.

“For example, highlighting your updated celebrity block list online without follow-up actions to support awareness, and instead focusing on concrete goals like raising awareness/funds or supporting those activists who are providing firsthand information and updates on the war.”

However, Jordan McAuley, founder of Contact Any Celebrity and CELEBRITY/PR, believes this blockout trend won’t negatively impact celebrities’ careers.

“Back in 2014, there was a big ‘Instapurge’ when Instagram cracked down on bots and removed millions of celebrities’ fake followers. Kim Kardashian lost about 1.3 million followers that year due to fake bots, and her career did not suffer. If anything, it only got bigger,” he told Newsweek.

“Celebrities and their agents, managers, and publicists, are skilled in taking something like this TikTok blackout and turning lemons into lemonade. I don’t think her career will suffer at all. Her team is probably lining up high-profile projects for her right now.”

Cheyenne Hunt, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California and an influencer attorney with almost 93,300 followers on TikTok, told Newsweek that the celebrity blockout highlights a significant shift in how younger generations leverage social media.

She explained that while many might want to diminish the movement by calling it a “fad,” it is actually a “powerful demonstration of their values.”

“Millennials and Gen Z are moving beyond passive consumption, becoming active participants who hold public figures accountable for social and ethical issues. This is something I saw as the first Gen Z woman to run for Congress and from the feedback I’ve seen on TikTok and Instagram,” she said.

“Millennials and Gen Zers are more politically and ethically engaged both as fans and consumers than any other generations in recent history. We make decisions in our own lives based on the social issues we care about…Thus, we expect the people we look up to and follow to use their platforms for good. This phenomenon is both good and bad as it has spurred celebrities to be more engaged and outspoken, but it has also created a somewhat unrealistic expectation of expertise on complex social and political issues for folks who never purported to be leaders in those spaces.”

While Hunt said it is vital that people let historians, academics and activists be their port of call when it comes to accessing trustworthy information, she said there’s nothing wrong with asking people with influence to use their platforms to evoke change.

She continued: “The war in Gaza has activated millions of people across the world in protest to the violations of Palestinian human rights and in today’s world, silence or neutrality on an issue like this can be taken as complicity. While celebrities may be trying to dance that line as they always have to preserve their broad market appeal, younger fans and consumers are deeply turned off by such a self-interested move in the face of unimaginable suffering.”

Whether this blockout movement affects celebrity brand deals and financial opportunities or not, Hunt said it does have the potential to reshape celebrity culture.

“These generations are major consumers, and their choices can impact not only follower counts, but also endorsements, collaborations, and overall public perception. It could usher in an era where consumers are changing their expectations and holding celebrities to use their platforms for good, aligning with causes of justice, tech accountability, and human rights,” she said.

“The blockout could spark a broader change in how social issues are addressed. It’s a call to action for both celebrities, who should use their influence responsibly, and fans, who should demand accountability. This dynamic could lead to a more informed and critical public, fostering a culture where activism is a core component of public engagement.”