Emily Brown
Successful voice actor Tara Strong has said she found out on X that she'd been fired after showing her support for Israel.
Strong - who is known for voicing characters in popular shows including The PowerPuff Girls and Rugrats and is the voice of Miss Minutes in Loki - also claimed she had been 'fired for being Jewish' after she spoke out about the ongoing conflict.
Following Hamas' attack on the Supernova music festival in Israel, Strong shared a post on X which included the hashtag '#IStandWithIsrael'.
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"Absolutely devastating. I pray for peace," she wrote, adding: "I fear for my family there. I fear for all suffering in this terrorist attack. Sickening how anyone condones or celebrates any violence."
Strong continued to share her prayers for 'world peace' in the following days, while also criticizing Palestinian militants Hamas with a number of claims about atrocities committed during the war, not all of which are verified.
"#Hamas has successfully brainwashed the western world to actually believe that #terrorism can be justified," she wrote in one post.
In the days after Strong shared her thoughts, the official X page for the animated series Boxtown released a statement on Twitter to announce that it would be recasting the character previously voiced by Strong.
"Hello all," it began. "Just wanted to offer a quick update on Boxtown. We will be recasting the role of Bill (previously played by Tara Strong). We’ll have more info soon on open auditions.
"Thanks for y’all’s understanding as we re-orient and figure out the next steps."
The announcement received mixed reactions, but Strong revealed that she was among those surprised by the news.
"Just found out on twitter!" she wrote after seeing the statement.
Strong continued: "This is what happens when you help fans get shows made I guess. Fired for being Jewish.
"Glad I helped you get your kickstarter money. Please lose my email address & pray for my family in Israel and in Gaza. & #prayforpeace."
Strong's claims about being 'fired for being Jewish' prompted fans to criticize the show, though creators of the show have since hit back to point out that Strong was not the only Jewish person involved in the series.
The co-writer of the series' pilot wrote: "The other main character is voiced by a jewish person (alex hirsch), the cowriter of the pilot (me) is a jew too…try again!"
Boxtown later shared a follow-up statement, which read: “This decision was due to a trend among Tara’s recent online activity, including posts that promote controversial messages regarding the peoples of Palestine currently being affected by the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis.
“We believe that our public platform gives us a duty to be careful when it comes to hateful messages and misinformation online. This extends to our cast and crew. This was not a difficult decision.
“Our hearts are with the Palestinian and Israeli children and families being affected by the ongoing conflict.
"People should be able to live freely without being threatened by constant abuse and terror. We are hoping for the best."
After Boxtown shared the news that she was being recast, Strong shared a post to say she was 'not' okay.
She maintained focus on the ongoing conflict, writing: "All news is heartbreaking & the images are repeating in my mind & I’m overwhelmed with sadness, just donating to innocents in #gaza & those suffering in #Israel."