Mia Khalifa Speaks Out After Getting Canceled

Mia Khalifa has broken her social media silence following a backlash over her comments regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Former adult film actress Khalifa, 30, lost at least two business deals after voicing her support for what she described as Palestinian "freedom fighters," in the wake of surprise attacks on Israelis by militant group Hamas on October 7.

Hamas said the attack was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation. It is estimated to have taken more than 200 hostages from 25 countries and has threatened to kill some of them.

Since the Hamas attack, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and put the territory under a siege that has caused a shortage of water, food, and electricity for the millions living there, leading to an outcry from human rights organizations calling for an immediate ceasefire.

According to the latest report by The Associated Press, the Palestinian death toll now exceeds 8,000, as per the Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them on October 7, according to the AP.

Since the backlash over her pro-Palestinian posts following the October 7 Hamas attack, Khalifa had laid relatively low across her social media accounts, not sharing any new posts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram or TikTok.

However, that has changed in recent days, with Lebanon-born Khalifa sharing a screenshot on X of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh sporting a small Lebanese flag on his arm.

"GOJETSGO," wrote Khalifa, who is known to be an avowed Washington Commanders fan.

Over on TikTok, Khalifa on October 20 shared a clip of a pro-Palestinian protester calling CNN reporter Clarissa Ward "a puppet" over the network's coverage of the war.

In the video, a protester, who has not been publicly identified, is seen asking Ward if CNN is covering the pro-Palestinian point of view. The confrontation occurred during a protest at the Rafah Crossing, the point connecting Egypt to the Gaza Strip.

"Where is your condemnation? Where is your channel covering this?" the protester asked. "Cover this. Say the truth. I understand you're an employee. You're just a puppet. You're just a mouthpiece. Come talk to me like a human being. Come talk to me like a human being."

Ward then approaches the protester, who continued to voice her concerns about the media's coverage.

"I understand you speak for your government. I understand you represent your government," she said. "That being said, you are a country that claims free speech. Your 'democracy' is what led to Hamas. And now, we are watching an occupation. We are watching the results of your silence, of your misrepresentation."

Captioning the footage, Khalifa wrote: "From the river to the sea," alongside a Palestinian flag.

"From the river to the sea" is a slogan referring to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which includes Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The slogan can be interpreted as a call for Palestinian liberation but critics argue that as the geographical area described by it includes the land constituting Israel, it can also be seen as a call for Israel's destruction.

Over the past several days, Khalifa has continued to make her feelings known through liking a plethora of X posts that have criticized the Israeli government and supported Palestinian people.

Following Hamas' attack on Israel, Khalifa shared a post on X, in which she addressed the footage of the raids on Israel that was coming out of the region.

"Can someone please tell the freedom fighters in Palestine to flip their phones and film horizontal," she wrote on the platform on October 7, the day Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel.

Vertical filming on smartphones often leads to the footage not displaying in full screen mode for viewers, thereby limiting what they can see.

Following days of criticism, Khalifa, who has long been a vocal supporter of Palestinians, sought to clarify her comment in a follow-up statement on October 9.

"I just want to make it clear that this statement in no way shape or form is [inciting] spread of violence," she said in a since-deleted post. "I specifically said freedom fighters because that's what the Palestinian citizens are… fighting for freedom every day."

Playboy was one of two companies that quickly severed ties with the star; visitors to her page on the brand's Centerfold platform are now met with a "not found" notification. Playboy announced the end of its relationship with Khalifa in an email to subscribers. It also shared with Newsweek a termination letter sent to Khalifa.

Khalifa's original message on October 7 also led to her public firing from her role as an adviser at Red Light Holland, which produces and distributes magic mushrooms.

Red Light Holland CEO Todd Shapiro wrote on X: "This is such a horrendous tweet @miakhalifa. Consider yourself fired effective immediately. Simply disgusting. Beyond disgusting. Please evolve and become a better human being."

A defiant Khalifa responded: "I'd say supporting Palestine has lost me business opportunities, but I'm more angry at myself for not checking whether or not I was entering into business with Zionists. My bad."

In a separate post, Khalifa said: "I just wanna make sure there's 4k footage of my people breaking down the walls of the open air prison they've been forced out of their homes and into so we have good options for the history books that write about how how they freed themselves from apartheid."

Radio host and wrestling pundit Peter Rosenberg also criticized Khalifa's post in a direct message. Khalifa subsequently made their private exchange public on her X account, where she currently has more than 5.7 million followers.

"I stand with all oppressed people, everywhere, until no one is fighting for freedom," the screenshot showed Khalifa responding. "I'm from Lebanon, I've lived through more air [raids] by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] than your tiny privileged brain could ever know how to work through.

"[You] know nothing but tall tales of a land that doesn't belong to you, created by a military that has nothing to do with your peaceful god loving religion. Don't you ever disrespect me and my experience with what geopolitical war is again you man child."

While Rosenberg didn't publicly respond to Khalifa posting their message exchange on the platform, he told Newsweek on October 9 that he found her approach to the matter to be "unhinged and ridiculous."

"The idea of demanding that people take sides hours after finding out that innocent people had been slaughtered was so counterproductive and hateful," he said, via email. "I don't care that she posted our direct message. I didn't consider her a friend. I was trying to avoid being messy on a day that's not about myself or Mia Khalifa."

"Honestly, her response was so unhinged and ridiculous," he went on. "First of all, she has no idea what my views are about Israel and Palestine. She just made up what she thinks I am because I told her that her tweet sucked and I'm a Jewish man, so I must only see it one way, right? When really I've been very open about my complicated feelings around this subject."

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Khalifa via email for comment.