In the final lead-up to Oscars Sunday, two tiny symbols of opposition have risen in prominence — each articulating a separate ideological response to Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza — setting the stage for a confrontation ahead of Hollywood’s splashiest awards extravaganza. On one side: the red and orange Artists4Ceasefire enamel pin, a symbol of the organization’s stated goal of achieving “a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the delivery of lifesaving aid to civilians in Gaza.” The pin has recently been seen on the lapels of Ayo Edebiri, Guy Pearce, and the alt-indie trio boygenius at the Golden Globes and the Grammys (in addition to last year’s Academy Awards, where Best Supporting Actor nominee Mark Ruffalo wore the pin). On the other side: a funky-font capitalized letter B symbolizing the “covert action group” the Brigade, which is comprised of filmmakers, power agents, entertainment-industry marketers and thought leaders whose primary purpose is “safeguarding the well-being of the Jewish people and the Jewish state” and demanding the immediate release of Israeli hostages.
Although both groups are ostensible advocates for peace in the bloody 16-month conflict, the Brigade lit into Artists4Ceasefire with a blisteringly worded statement Monday for soliciting celebrities to wear its pins to the Independent Spirit Awards last weekend via email — on the same day Hamas returned the remains of dead Israeli hostages including four-year-old Ariel Bibas and his nine-month-old brother, Kfir, the youngest of the Israeli hostages.
The Brigade’s statement reads, in part, “We turned the other cheek when you pinned a symbol of Jewish murder to your awards lapels. We took the high road when you cried for a ceasefire that already existed before Hamas shattered it on October 7th. But today, we will not be silent. … That pin is no symbol of peace. It is the emblem of Jewish bloodshed.”
The celebrity-industrial complex has mobilized the wearing of protest pins over the course of awards seasons past: most notably in 2018 when boldfaced names such as Guillermo del Toro, Jane Fonda, and Elisabeth Moss showed their support for gender equality and putting an end to sexual violence by wearing black-and-white Time’s Up pins as they walked the Oscars carpet. But given the enduring complexities of Israeli-Palestinian coexistence and the cultural hot button that campus protests became over the past two years, Hollywood — like much of America — is not in lockstep on how to call for peace in Gaza. And those who work within the 30-mile zone remain divided on the Brigade’s and Artists4Ceasefire’s differing agendas.
“The militancy is getting insane,” a veteran awards insider emailed me after Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter published the Brigade letter. “As if this country isn’t enough of a Zionist supporter?” Another Oscars-campaign strategist texted that she was doubtful Artists4Ceasefire’s pins would have much of an impact even if the group could get a lot of famous people to wear them on Oscars Sunday: “I don’t think this is going to turn into a thing.” A veteran studio executive, meanwhile, points out the high-degree of difficulty in lobbying for peace via one tiny wardrobe accent: “It’s a lot to fit on a pin.”
Artists4Ceasefire members Jeremy Strong (who is nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar this year) and Selena Gomez (scheduled as a presenter at the Awards) did not respond to requests from Vulture through their publicists to find whether they planned to wear A4C pins Sunday. Likewise, attempts to reach Artists4Ceasefire went unanswered.
As per the organization’s name, Artists4Ceasefire was formed on October 20, 2023 — just days after the tragic events of October 7 escalated into a humanitarian disaster — a 55-person celebrity collective that signed an open letter urging the Biden administration to engineer an “end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages.” Since then, A4C has grown to comprise around 550 members including such A-listers as Cate Blanchett, America Ferrera, Joaquin Phoenix, and Bradley Cooper. And in light of the fragile ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hamas last month, Artists4Ceasefire continues to agitate for both the release of hostages and aid to civilians in Gaza.
Less publicly affiliated with celebs but no less Hollywood-connected, the Brigade encompasses more than 700 TV- and film-industry professionals and pro-Israel religious advocates who are “leveraging the collective power of storytelling and their platform within the entertainment industry.” The group has lent its cultural and organizational clout to the Nova Exhibition, a remembrance of the bloody incursion at Israel’s Nova Music Festival, and an industry-heavy 2023 screening of the controversial documentary Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre.
The co-founder of the Brigade, who spoke on condition of anonymity (for security reasons and because the person doesn’t want the collective’s other members to be “doxxed”), says they don’t understand Artists4Ceasefire’s continuing efforts demanding a ceasefire, after Israel and Hamas agreed to an armistice on January 15. Brigade membership is expecting A4C to make another celebrity pin-wearing push in the final day or two before the Academy Awards and felt compelled to head that off with a statement. “We don’t want to start something at the Oscars; we want to end it before it reaches the Oscars,” this person tells Vulture. “It’s such a complicated issue. It has so many nuances that we’d rather leave it on the cutting-room floor.”
But an influential talent manager considers the situation and the Brigade’s letter differently. “It’s bullying,” he says. “Let people wear whatever pin they want. It’s not like America pays attention to what anyone in Hollywood is saying anyway. Look at the election!”