The 81st Golden Globe Awards were handed out in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday night. And while the event’s red carpet has been a fertile ground for protests and activism in the past (think: #MeToo, the refugee crisis, and more), there was nary a ribbon in remembrance of the October 7 terror attacks in Israel or the hostages being held.
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Daily Mail columnist Maureen Callahan to discuss Hollywood’s reaction (or lack thereof) to the Israel-Hamas war and why trans activist Dylan Mulvaney’s appearance at the ceremony is a “middle finger” to the cause.
[Editor’s Note: You can learn more about Megyn’s position on preferred pronouns here.]
‘They’re F–king Cowards’
The red carpets at awards shows have long been used to raise awareness for various causes. In 2018, actresses exclusively wore black ensembles to the Golden Globes to support the #MeToo movement. Last year, celebrities sported blue ribbons to the Oscars as a show of solidarity with refugees.
Three months to the day after the 10/7 terror attack in Israel, there was no mention of the tragedy or those who continue to be held hostage by Hamas on the red carpet or during the ceremony at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards. “Where was the massive outpouring of support and speeches for what’s happened to Israelis and to the eight Americans who are still being held,” Megyn asked. “I feel like most of them are probably… more pro-Israel than they are pro-Hamas, but they’re f–king cowards.”
Callahan said the silence is especially deafening when you consider how Hollywood “loves to tell the story” of the Holocaust and World War II. “There’s value in that, but you also have to ask: Where is the moral and ethical integrity when we’re seeing a second Holocaust and nobody will stand up in the moment,” she asked. “This is a group of people who signed an open letter in support of Roman Polanski, but this is too much of a third rail?”
In Megyn’s view, it comes down to dollars and cents. “They’ll exploit the pain in the history of Jewish people like that for a dime and to win an award,” she said. “But when push comes to shove and Jews are actually being killed and being treated like third-class citizens here in America after their people were murdered, their babies were murdered, they can’t muster the courage to wear a friggin ribbon? It’s disgusting.”
‘Allyship’ in Hollywood
While support for Israel was nowhere to be found, Megyn pointed out that trans activism was alive and well on the red carpet thanks to the appearance of Mulvaney. “Why was he there,” Megyn asked. “This is a man trying to impersonate a woman and being rewarded richly for it… There hasn’t been an award ceremony or a big sort of red carpet event that they haven’t invited him to.”
Nearly a year after his ill-fated partnership with Bud Light, Mulvaney was at the Golden Globes for the first time in a pink, feather-adorned frock and strappy sandals. The influencer told Billboard after the show that the night “was really special” and “feels like this is what dreams are made of.”
Megyn said the appearance is a “middle finger” to several marginalized groups. “They won’t say anything about the missing American hostages, the Israelis who are still in custody, the women who have been sexually abused repeatedly before they were murdered,” she explained. “That doesn’t deserve a damn ribbon at the Golden Globes… but you can parade Dylan Mulvaney out there because that’s brave, that’s allyship?”
It’s not just the Golden Globes though. “It’s the same thing with #MeToo – you’re going to stand by women who have been sexually assaulted, but not in Israel… even if it’s American women because they happen to be in Israel,” she asked. “Got it.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Callahan by tuning in to episode 697 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.