Many had high hopes that Israeli superstar Gal Gadot, who presented an award at the Golden Globes on Sunday night in Los Angeles, would wear a yellow pin that is a symbol for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
But while Gadot was glamorous and charming in a slinky black gown as she presented the for Best Actor in a drama award, accompanied by Emilia Perez star Edgar Ramirez, to Adrien Brody who starred in The Brutalist, she did not wear the hostage pin.
Ynet and N12 reported that Gadot was forbidden to wear the pin, which is considered a political statement by the awards organizers, even though it does not express support for any political party or for the war itself but is only a reminder that approximately 100 hostages are still held.
However, the public relations firm, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis, which represents the Golden Globes, reached out to the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday with a statement that denied that the Golden Globes forbade presenters from wearing pins or other symbols concerning political or social issues: "The Golden Globes does not have a policy against wearing pins or other signifiers that support, or are perceived to support, political or social causes. Further, no message of any kind was communicated to Gal Gadot or any other presenter/attendee by or on behalf of the Golden Globes, that they could not wear a ribbon to the Golden Globes or to any event associated with the Golden Globes. Any suggestion to the contrary is categorically false."
The day before, however, Gadot chose to post about the proof-of-life propaganda video of hostage Liri Albag just released by Hamas on her Instagram account, which has 108 million followers.
She also posted video of herself on Instagram wearing a yellow diamond with her Golden Globes outfit.
'Bound by specific rules'
Ynet quoted a source close to Gadot as saying, “As a presenter, she was bound by specific rules and could not wear the pin. Gal struggled with this decision, which is why she posted her call to free the hostages before the event. Working with her team, she found a creative solution by wearing a yellow ring to symbolize the cause. It was important to her to honor the guidelines while still drawing attention to the hostages."
The post about Liri Albag and the yellow jewelry were not enough to satisfy the outspoken Keshet 12 host Ofira Assayag, who wrote on Instagram: “One pin is important. A small pin but with great meaning in my eyes. The whole world wouldn't have ruined your dress, Mrs. Gal Gadot. Shame on you. Hypocrisy is rampant."
Later, Assayag grew even angrier, saying in a video, “I want to tell you something, Gal. After all, you didn't receive any award, it's not that you missed a campaign, it's not that your film was ruined or your livelihood was harmed. You would come out super big and super Israeli if you said , ‘I only come out [onstage] with a hostage pin.’ But you're a politician, you want to look pretty. Gal Gadot, move on, for me you're not Israeli."
Assayag’s angry posts drew hundreds of responses, most expressing enthusiasm for her criticism of Gadot.