Hollywood superstar Gal Gadot said Wednesday that she was never banned from wearing the hostage pin at the Golden Globes. She thus breaks with the controversy of recent days, after one of her representatives told Ynet that the rules of the awards ceremony prohibited Gadot from wearing this pin.
“It’s important for me to clarify: I was never banned from wearing the pin to the Golden Globes,” Gadot wrote on Instagram.
“Some people chose to tell a story that never happened, and I prefer to focus on what is real and truly important – our hostages. »
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“Everyone expresses their support as they see fit. I chose to share a global message and wear a yellow ring as a sign of solidarity. The important thing is that the hostages return home. My heart goes out to the families who are waiting for them,” she added.
The Golden Globes previously released a statement on Wednesday denying that presenters were prevented from wearing yellow ribbons in solidarity with the Gaza hostages.
Gadot has faced backlash in recent days, after appearing at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday without the yellow ribbon. Over the past fifteen months, this has in fact become a way for Israelis to show their support for the hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas during the pogrom perpetrated by the latter on October 7, 2023.
Israeli actress Gal Gadot and her husband producer Jaron Varsano arriving at the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (Credit: Etienne Laurent/AFP)
The 39-year-old actress, who plays the Evil Queen in Disney’s upcoming new version of “Snow White,” walked the red carpet at the Golden Globes before taking the stage to present the award for best male actor in a dramatic film. The yellow ribbon, which has become synonymous with support for the Gaza hostages around the world, was notably absent from her long black dress.
Facing criticism for not wearing the pin, a rep for the actress told Ynet that she was unable to wear it “because she was presenting an award and there was had rules to respect.
The representative claimed that Gadot had been “tormented” by the supposed inability to wear the ribbon, and that as a compromise, she had posted a message on Instagram “calling for the release of the hostages before the ceremony.”
The message, shared by the star, drew attention to the fate of 19-year-old hostage Liri Albag, who was the subject of a Hamas propaganda video broadcast on Saturday.
Hostage Liri Albag, in a sequence taken from a video published by Hamas on January 4, 2025. (Credit: Forum of Families of Hostages and Disappeared)
“This is Liri, only 19 years old. She was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7,” Gadot wrote on Instagram.
-“Yesterday, we received a sign of life from Liri – a sign that deepened the pain that Liri, along with 99 other hostages, has been held captive in Hamas tunnels for more than 450 days. »
“On a personal level, as I prepare for a festive and joyful evening, my heart is heavy and my soul aches knowing that the hostages are still out there. Every day that passes without an agreement being reached puts their lives in even greater danger. I can’t help but think of the families waiting for them, counting the hours, the minutes, clinging to hope. They have to go home. We all deserve to see them come back, alive. »
Her representative told Ynet that in addition to the social media post, Gadot and her management “thought of a creative solution, and she wore a yellow ring.”
Israeli actress Gal Gadot in a video message to the families of the hostages, 100 days after their capture by Hamas, on January 14, 2024. The actress has published other messages drawing attention to the hostages, including one on January 5, 2025, the 457th day of captivity of the surviving hostages. (Credit: Screenshot)
“It was important for her to respect the rules and not forget the hostages,” the representative added.
On Wednesday, however, a statement obtained by broadcaster N12 and attributed to James Lee of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which manages the Golden Globe Awards, rejected the claim that presenters had been banned from wearing items representing causes political or otherwise.
“The Golden Globes has no policy against the wearing of pins or other symbols that support, or are perceived to support, political or social causes,” the statement read.
“Furthermore, no message of any kind was communicated to Gal Gadot or any other presenter/attendee by or on behalf of the Golden Globes indicating that they could not wear the ribbon at the Golden Globes or at any associated event. Any suggestion to the contrary is categorically false. »
Filmmaker Tom Nesher (L) and film star Gal Gadot at an event presenting Nesher’s award-winning film Come Closer to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles on November 11 ( Credit: Authorization)
“Ribbons and pins have been worn at past ceremonies for various causes and issues, and we do not place restrictions on what guests may wear,” the statement reiterated.
Gadot has publicly defended Israel over the years, and particularly since the deadly assault on October 7, 2023, when some 6,000 Gazans including 3,800 Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, kidnapped 251 hostages of all ages – committing numerous atrocities and perpetrating sexual violence on a large scale.
In November 2023, she organized a screening for the Hollywood community of a film about the atrocities. The following month, she criticized the international community for its silence on widespread sexual assaults committed during the pogrom and the continued detention of female hostages by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
She has also worn the yellow ribbon at various other events, including the 36th Israeli Film Festival in Los Angeles in November 2024.
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