Arts·Group Chat

Do we need celebrities to weigh in on war?

Tech reporters Alyssa Bereznak and Mike Isaac, along with friend of the show Rad Simonpillai, weigh in on how celebrities are influencing public sentiment about the war between Israel and Hamas, and why it matters.

Alyssa Bereznak, Mike Isaac and Rad Simonpillai discuss recent celebrity comments about Israel and Hamas

A close-up image of a mobile phone shows several social media apps including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Instagram.
Facebook, Instagram, Google and Twitter mobile apps on an iPhone screen. (Shutterstock/Primakov)

Three weeks ago, war broke out in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. Since then, celebrities have taken to social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their stances on the issue.

Gigi Hadid, Justin Bieber and Macklemore are a few examples of public figures who have spoken out recently. But how much weight should we give to celebrity opinions on current affairs, especially when it comes to something as nuanced as geopolitical conflicts?

Tech reporters Alyssa Bereznak and Mike Isaac, along with friend of the show Rad Simonpillai, join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss how celebrities influence our feelings about war, and why that matters.

LISTEN | Today's show is now available on YouTube:

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Alyssa Bereznak, Mike Isaac, and Rad Simonpillai was produced by