TMZ.com
Brett Gelman is opening up about the recent backlash he’s faced for vocally supporting Israel amid its conflict with Hamas in Gaza … and he thinks it’s BS that his gigs are getting nixed.
The “Stranger Things” star joined us Monday on “TMZ Live,” where he slammed bookstores for canceling his upcoming appearances over the ongoing controversy in the Middle East.
Brett — who recently released his book, ‘The Terrifying Realm of the Possible’ — confirmed that three different bookstores canceled his promotional appearances amid alleged security concerns.
However, as the actor told us, he offered to provide security for the events himself — as he would never expect a small business to take on that responsibility. As Brett noted, the locations still refused to host him.
Brett defended that his support of Israel does not mean that he is pro-war or that he is unempathetic to the innocent Palestinians caught in the crossfire of the conflict. He did reiterate that he believes Israel had the right to defend itself after the October 7 attack.
On whether he considered putting a pause on his book tour, Brett said that it was never discussed … but he probably still would’ve moved forward with the plan. He called the bookstores’ decisions an intimidation tactic.
Brett pointed to the rise in antisemitism after the October 7 attack as evidence of his stance.