After apologizing for remarks made following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, CAA’s co-chief of the motion pictures department Maha Dakhil is stepping away from her leadership role in the division. Additionally she’s resigning from the Century City-based firm’s internal agency board.
Dakhil, whose clients include Tom Cruise, Natalie Portman, Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway and more, came under scrutiny for an Instagram post that had been highly critical of Israel. That post was later deleted and the agent apologized for the remarks.
“I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language,” Dakhil stated in an Instagram post on Oct. 19. “Like so many of us, I have been reeling with heartbreak. I pride myself on being on the side of humanity and peace. I’m so grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the implications and further educated me. I immediately took the repost down. I’m sorry for the pain I have caused.”
As word of the post reverberated across town, attention turned to what action, if any, that the major agency — which was subject to multiple headlines about the comments — would take in response. While Dakhil is exiting as co-chief of the motion pictures department, she will continue to work with clients.
The shake-up reflects the fraught social media environment in the weeks since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis, and the country’s airstrike response in Gaza.
While major studios — including Disney, Paramount and Comcast — issued donations to humanitarian organizations after the attack and executives like Bob Iger and Shari Redstone condemned Hamas’ actions, there’s been a groundswell of activist attention in parts of Hollywood that have been highly critical of Israel’s response. After a petition circulated with 700 entertainment industry names signing an open letter in support of Israel, a group of at least 57 stars put their name to a letter addressed to President Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
More to come.
