Posted 33 minutes agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret DownAfter Saying "Free Palestine" In Her Emmys Speech, Hannah Einbinder Has Explained Why It's Her "Obligation As A Jewish Person" To Speak Out"I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel."by Stephanie SoteriouBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink In case you missed it, Hannah Einbinder finally won the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for her work on Hacks last night, with the star taking home the award after being nominated four times over the years. Kevin Mazur / Getty Images And Hannah's long-awaited speech did not disappoint, with the 30-year-old actor going viral when she passionately exclaimed: "Go Birds, fuck ICE, and free Palestine" before exiting the stage."Go Birds, F*** ICE and Free Palestine"- Hannah Einbinder during her #EMMYs speech pic.twitter.com/k8H6LdKnL6- Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 15, 2025 CBS / Via x.com This statement came soon after Hannah joined the stream of A-list names - including Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo - pledging not to work with institutions that support or are otherwise involved in the "genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people." Cbs Photo Archive / Getty Images Hannah was asked about both this pledge and her speech in the Emmys press room after her win, and her comments have won widespread praise on social media. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images "When you were up on stage, you talked about Palestine, and I know you signed a pledge, too. Can you talk about that, please?" a journalist asked - and Hannah, who was joined on stage by her Hacks costar Jean Smart, was more than happy to oblige.
In fact, the star went so far as to say that she feels it is her "obligation" as a Jewish person to use her platform to speak out against Israel's actions, and revealed that she has friends who are working in Gaza. "I thought it was important to talk about Palestine because it's an issue that's very dear to my heart," Hannah began. "I have friends in Gaza who are working as front-line workers as doctors right now, in the north of Gaza, to provide care for pregnant women, and for school children, to create schools in the refugee camps." Variety / Via x.com "It's an issue that's really close to my heart for many reasons, I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel," she went on. "Because our religion and our culture is such an important and longstanding institution that is really separate to this sort of ethnonationalist state." Variety / Via x.com "And in terms of the pledge," Hannah continued. "It's like many movements; boycotting is an effective tool to create pressure on the powers that be to meet the moment, so the Film Workers for Palestine Boycott does not boycott individuals, it only boycotts institutions that are directly complicit in the genocide." Variety / Via x.com "So, yeah, it's important to me, and I think it's an important measure, and so I was happy to be a part of it," she concluded. Needless to say, Hannah has been lauded for her comments, with many being left impressed by how articulate and matter-of-fact she was in the press room. Jc Olivera / Getty Images Quote-tweeting Variety's video of the moment, one viral tweet simply reads: "So there is this eloquent and amazing new mother.""She faces a ton of pressure not to do this and I have an incredible amount of respect for her for doing it anyway," somebody else wrote."a TV star normalizing matter-of-factly talking about Gaza - as a place w/people living lives as humans equal to anyone else - Well, it's sad that it's big, but it's big," one more added. You can watch Hannah's statement in full below - let me know your thoughts in the comments!Hannah Einbinder on saying "Free Palestine" in her Emmys acceptance speech."It is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel. Our religion and our culture is such an important and long-standing institution that is really separate to this sort... pic.twitter.com/FNVTji7VC3- Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2025 Variety / Via x.com