Disney’s Snow White live-action version has been plagued with controversy for a long time before its Mar. 21 release. Now, Rachel Zegler has been universally targeted online, not just by people who wouldn’t have seen the movie anyway but by industry stars as well.
The new adaptation stars Zegler as the titular character, alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. This is the opposite of a match made in heaven, as Zegler is an open advocator for Palestine, while Gadot has numerously shown her support for Israel, where she comes from. The actress has received a lot of backlash over her views, and she clarified that she doesn’t stand for genocide and expressed her anti-war stance as recently as February 2025. However, it’s definitely a very politically different team-up.
However, while Gadot has recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Zegler has been denounced for her public support for Palestine. A new hit piece by Variety highlights the actress’ words after the release of the first trailer of the film, after which she added in a different tweet, “and always remember, free Palestine.”
Nepo baby Jonah Platt, the son of the successful producer Marc Platt, who also produced the new live-action film, also went on a rant online. In the hit piece, the producer reportedly flew to talk Zegler out of showing her support for Palestine online, which she refused. This led to support from fired star Melissa Barrera, who was dropped from the slasher franchise for the same reason, but also criticism from Platt’s son, Jonah.
In a now-deleted comment on his Instagram account, Platt defended his father’s actions to hold Zegler accountable for her words, and slammed the 23-year-old star for being “immature” and the reason why the film is not more successful.
“You really want to do this?” Jonah, 38, replied to a comment calling his father’s actions “creepy as hell and uncalled for.” He continued, “Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for.”
“This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office,” he continued. “Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions. Tens of thousands of people worked on that film and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.”
To this, enter Glinda actress Kristin Chenoweth, 56. She played the part in the 2003 Broadway stage musical Wicked, and has shown her stance against Zegler.
She commented on not just one, but two posts to show her support for Jonah Platt. She wrote, “Jonah is a very talented singer and actor.” In the same Instagram post as Jonah’s comments, she wrote, “The Platt family are amazing folks.”
Chenoweth further liked a different video on TikTok where the author was making fun of Zegler’s face.
As Rachel Zegler received backlash from one Glinda, she received support from another. In a recent interview with Allure, she revealed that Ariana Grande reached out to show support. Grande played Glinda in the Jon M. Chu-directed, Marc Platt-produced 2024’s Wicked, a role she will reprise in the upcoming Wicked: For Good.
“She reached out to me — kind of apropos of nothing — and was like, ‘If you need anything, I am here,’ ” Zegler explained about Grande. “She is so deeply kind. She has gone through so much in the public eye, and I have always really, really admired her courage in the face of all of that.
Zegler is currently persona non grata on the internet. The 23-year-old is harshly judged for her comments about the 1937 original, as well for her casting in the role, since she is a Latina, and Snow White is described to have the skin as white as snow. The actress’ words have been widely slammed online, mostly by men who have absolutely no intention of watching a Snow White film. Zegler pointed out the original’s love story basically consists of a guy who stalks her, as Snow White and Prince Charming have absolutely no real interaction before he kisses her in her sleep and later getting married. She called it “weird,” which it is, something that completely set the world on fire about a 1937 animated film.
Zegler also noted that the original scared her when she was young, but obviously, that is no longer true. People feel like the 23-year-old is ungrateful for the role and that she doesn’t deserve it. Obviously, Steven Spielberg, who directed her in the West Side Story remake, believed otherwise. Zegler previously revealed, “I actually got a really glowing recommendation from Steven Spielberg to Marc Webb, who directed Snow White.”
In the meantime, the Marvel-fired actor Jonathan Majors, who was convicted of domestic abuse, made his comeback over the weekend as well. Although his film, Magazine Dreams, failed at the box office, it still received glowing reviews, with many men calling for an Oscar for the convicted actor, claiming he was a victim, despite a leaked voice message and his conviction proves otherwise.
