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Julianna Margulies apologizes for claiming Black people were ‘brainwashed to hate Jews’

Julianna Margulies arrives at a photo call for "The Morning Show" on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Actress Julianna Margulies apologized Friday for recently claiming Black people were “brainwashed to hate Jews.”

“I am horrified by the fact that statements I made on a recent podcast offended the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, communities I truly love and respect,” Margulies said in a statement to Deadline. 

“I want to be 100% clear: Racism, homophobia, sexism, or any prejudice against anyone’s personal beliefs or identity are abhorrent to me, full stop,” Margulies continued. “Throughout my career I have worked tirelessly to combat hate of all kind, end antisemitism, speak out against terrorist groups like Hamas, and forge a united front against discrimination. I did not intend for my words to sow further division, for which I am sincerely apologetic.”

On the The Back Room with Andy Ostroy podcast last Monday, Margulies claimed that Black people have been “brainwashed to hate Jews” and that a Black lesbian club at Columbia University put signs up saying “No Jews allowed.” She and Ostoy discussed antisemitism and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“A, you’re black and B, you’re gay,” Margulies said. “And you’re turning your back against the people who support you?”


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Margulies’s apology follows similar remarks from fellow actress Susan Sarandon, who said she ‘regrets diminishing’ the history of antisemitism during remarks at a recent pro-Palestinian rally.

“Recently, I attended a rally alongside a diverse group of activists seeking to highlight the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza and call for a ceasefire,” Sarandon wrote in a post on Instagram. “I had not planned to speak, but was invited to take the stage and say a few words.”

The Hollywood star was caught on video last month claiming that lots of people are “afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often objected to violence” during a protest in New York City related to the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.