The Oscars 2025 took a political turn when No Other Land, a Palestinian-Israeli documentary, won Best Documentary Feature.
As the film’s directors, Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, delivered a powerful speech condemning Israeli settlements and calling for peace, many Hollywood stars reacted with either support or silence.
However, what caught the internet’s attention most was an exchange between Selena Gomez and Samuel L. Jackson during the speech.
As Adra and Abraham spoke about forced displacement and destruction in Gaza, cameras caught Gomez and Jackson having a brief conversation. According to lip-reading expert Nicola Hickling, Jackson allegedly said, “He made that speech very political,” to which Gomez responded, “He did, yes.” Jackson then reportedly laughed, while Gomez maintained a faint smile.
The moment quickly went viral, sparking heated debates online. Many social media users accused them of being dismissive of the filmmakers’ message, with some calling it disrespectful.
The way Selena Gomez & Samuel Jackson were just laughing and having small talk during a speech about GENOCIDE is actually crazy, shows the deep lack of knowledge, respect, and empathy of Palestine. Truly despicable. CONGRATS No Other Land #Oscars2025 #LiberatePalestine
— USA & Israel are committing genocide (@katewright38) March 3, 2025
probably going to be the most important speech of the night, and the award season circle, and fuckass samuel l jackson and selena gomez are laughing in the background, specifically when they called out american policy's complicitness. heartless fucks. https://t.co/4YGQbDSjgF
— mariella 🪶 (@ivansmargaret) March 3, 2025
The woman Selena Gomez is while rolling her eyes and laughing while the award recipients are talking about freeing Palestine from genocide? Please be for real. #Oscars https://t.co/IsMmVCDY3Z
— Mac Maher (@MacMaher98) March 3, 2025
Other celebrities also faced scrutiny over their reactions to No Other Land’s win. Songwriter Diane Warren, actress Mikey Madison, and actor-director Ben Stiller were criticized for appearing indifferent, with Warren not clapping at all. Meanwhile, The Brutalist star Guy Pearce received praise for wearing a “Free Palestine” pin and shaking hands with the filmmakers.
Despite its critical success, No Other Land faced challenges securing US distribution, leading to a self-released theatrical run that sold out nearly 100 theaters. The Oscars win was a historic moment, but the mixed reactions from Hollywood stars only fueled the ongoing debate over the industry’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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