Emmys 2025 red carpet turns political as stars advocate for Gaza and call for ceasefire

Hannah Einbinder, Javier Bardem, Ruth Negga at Emmy Awards 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

The 2025 Emmy Awards weren’t just about glitz and glamour. They became a platform for urgent political statements. Several stars used the red carpet to spotlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and demand an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing war with Israel.

Actors including Hannah Einbinder, Ruth Negga, Chris Perfetti, and Aimee Lou Wood wore red Artists4Ceasefire pins on the red carpet showing solidarity with Palestinians. “It’s the most important to stick up for people and for peace,” Hacks star Meg Stalter told Variety while carrying a purse marked boldly with “Cease Fire!” in black marker. “What’s the point of being at these big events if you’re not going to use your privilege?” she added.

Spanish actor Javier Bardem took his protest further as he arrived  in a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh on the Emmys Red Carpet. Speaking to Variety, he declared, “I will not work with any film or TV company who justifies or supports the genocide. It’s as simple as that. We should not be able to do that in this industry or any industry.” On the carpet, Bardem was even more direct, “Here I am today denouncing the genocide in Gaza… Free Palestine!”

The activism continued on stage. After winning Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Hannah Einbinder ended her speech with a blunt message, “Go Birds, F*** ICE and Free Palestine.”

With the starvation crisis in Gaza worsening daily, an increasing number of A-listers, including Bardem, Wood, and Einbinder, have pledged not to work with Israeli companies or institutions they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

Several prominent figures, including Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Asif Kapadia, Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Adam McKay, Riz Ahmed, Tilda Swinton, and Mark Ruffalo, signed a pledge organised by Film Workers for Palestine committing to avoid partnerships with Israeli film institutions and companies accused of being complicit in “genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”