Hannah Einbinder closed her acceptance speech at the Emmy Awards Sunday night with a partisan flourish that drew immediate attention and provoked controversy.
Einbinder, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, concluded her remarks by cheering her favorite football team and adding two political statements: “Go Birds, f**k ICE, and free Palestine.” CBS, which aired the ceremony, muted that portion of the speech live on air.
Einbinder, the daughter of original Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman and writer-director Chad Einbinder, was born into a Jewish family. Her remarks came against the backdrop of an open letter circulated this year and signed by roughly 3,900 people in the entertainment industry pledging not to work with Israeli institutions and film companies the signatories say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
Paramount, the parent company of CBS, issued an early response to the letter, saying the studio “do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers.” The company added that “silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace.”
Network censors stepped in during Einbinder’s speech, a move visible on the live telecast and noted by viewers and reporters. Video of the acceptance speech circulated online after the broadcast; the segment contains profanity and political language that some viewers described as divisive while others defended as an artist’s right to speak on public issues.
The Emmy moment was preceded by a lighter note: Einbinder’s “Go Birds” shout came hours after the Philadelphia Eagles held on for a 20-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a regular-season game that revisited last season’s Super Bowl matchup. The shoutout linked a personal sports allegiance to more contested political statements.
Einbinder’s victory marks her first major Emmy win in the category, and the televised acceptance has renewed debate about the limits of political expression during awards ceremonies and the role of broadcasters when speeches contain profanity or politically charged content. The statements also tied into a broader conversation unfolding within Hollywood about engagement with, and responses to, the war in Gaza and related cultural boycotts.
Representatives for Einbinder and CBS did not immediately provide additional comment beyond the studio’s earlier statement responding to the industry letter. The episode adds to a series of recent moments in which entertainers have used awards stages to draw attention to political causes, prompting varied responses from networks, studios and the public.