‘Hocus Pocus’ actor, Thora Birch, filmed in tense exchange with persistent autograph seeker
Thora Birch and her husband, Michael Benton Adler, were caught on video in a heated encounter with a man seeking Birch’s autograph following the BAFTA Tea Party in Beverly Hills. The incident unfolded outside the Four Seasons Hotel, where the couple had attended the event earlier in the day.
Footage shows Adler standing close to the autograph seeker as tensions escalated, with the man asking, “Are you threatening me?” Birch later steps in to support her husband, challenging the man by asking, “Did you just call him trash?”
According to Adler, the individual had been following and bothering Birch throughout the weekend. The video shows Adler tearing up photographs that belonged to the man, who demanded payment multiple times during the exchange. At one point, Birch asks the man, “Are you from f****** Israel?” The individual responds that he is from Puerto Rico and continues pressing the couple for compensation.
#Exclusive 😳 "Hocus Pocus" actress Thora Birch blows up at an autograph seeker. https://t.co/opm7Llkru3 pic.twitter.com/rWmp93tcbk
The encounter lasted roughly four minutes before the couple walked away, though a second video shows the man following them down the street, continuing the confrontation. Adler is heard asking the filmer why they are recording and repeatedly asking to be left alone, stressing that he does not wish to escalate the situation further.
Eventually, Birch appears to relent and signs the photographs to conclude the incident. In a statement shared with TMZ, the couple said they regret the escalation and clarified that Birch, who is Jewish with close family in Israel, was attempting to place an accent and not offend anyone. They expressed apologies for any misunderstanding.