Gwyneth Paltrow is facing a wave of online criticism after appearing in a television commercial for 51 Park, a luxury residential development in Herzliya, Israel.
The Oscar-winning actress, who grew up in an interfaith Jewish-Christian family, stars in the ad — produced by Tel Aviv-based agency Why Worry and filmed in New York — for the project developed by Israeli real estate firm Aviv Melisron. The two-tower, 51-story complex sits adjacent to Herzliya Park, with penthouses reportedly priced at around $10 million.
In the spot, Ms. Paltrow wakes up in a high-rise apartment, complains about early mornings and heads out for a jog in Central Park before telling a driver to take her to “51 Park.” When he asks if she means New York, she replies: “Herzliya, Israel.”
After the commercial began airing, Ms. Paltrow became the target of widespread social media condemnation. Many users accused her of complicity in genocide, with hostile comments flooding her recent Instagram posts — though she did not post the commercial herself. The Jerusalem Post reported that some commenters called her “Genocide Queen,” while others said she deserved physical harm. One user wrote that she was “consciously uncoupled from morality,” a reference to her well-known description of her split from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. A separate post on X called her involvement “something deeply unspeakably sinister.” Some social media users also criticized a reported $10 million contract for the commercial, a figure that could not be independently verified.
Some social media users defended Ms. Paltrow, saying she was “on the right side of history.”
Ms. Paltrow has spoken publicly about her Jewish heritage on multiple occasions and, during the war with Hamas, posted social media support for hostages held in Gaza. Her brother, Jake Paltrow, directed “June Zero,” a 2022 film shot in Israel about the trial and execution of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
The commercial is not the first time a Hollywood star has appeared in Israeli advertising. According to the Jerusalem Post, Morgan Freeman has appeared in ads for Tadiran, Snoop Dogg for SodaStream, and David Schwimmer for the financial firm Meitav.
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