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American stand-up comedian and actress Amy Schumer made headlines recently when she took to her Instagram Story and shared the following amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
“An Islamic Jihad missile killed hundreds of innocent Palestinians in a hospital in Gaza. Many Western outlets published a propaganda lie, blaming Israel without fact-checking. Facts only reached the headlines an hour later.”
Her post further demanded that the editors of major news outlets such as BBC News, CNN, Sky News, and the New York Times be fired over their mistakes and spreading antisemitic misinformation. Amy Schumer asked people to hold the media accountable for all the “lies” they spread.
Following the controversial post, the comedian has been facing backlash online, with many pointing out that her political stands are influenced by her relative Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer.
Amy Schumer and Chuck Schumer are second cousins
The 42-year-old comedian, actress, writer, director, and producer Amy Schumer was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, to Gordon David Schumer and Sandra Jane.
Amy's father, who owned a baby furniture company, has a Polish and Ukrainian Ashkenazi Jewish background, while her mother is a Methodist, having roots in England, Germany, Wales, and Scotland, as per media outlet Ethnicelebs. Later, however, Amy’s mother converted to Judaism before her marriage.
As a result, Amy Schumer was raised as a reformed Jew and even had her bar mitzvah ceremony. She also attended Hebrew school but was allegedly a victim of antisemitism, as she has publicly expressed on various occasions.
As for her relationship with Senate Majority Leader and Democratic New York Senator Chuck Schumer, they are both second cousins. In fact, as per Refinery 29, their fathers were first cousins, meaning Chuck too is Jewish.
So, despite running in completely different circles, Amy Schumer and Chuck Schumer are related, and as per Reuters, they are close. As a result, they have often spoken in favor of and support of each other in public.
For instance, when former President Donald Trump accused Senator Schumer of crying “fake tears,” Amy came to his rescue via an Instagram Story.
“Also, I know Chuck Schumer and he cannot act, trust me. He can barely smile on cue. He can’t help but be transparent and genuine.”
Likewise, when there was a mass shooting incident during the screening of Amy’s 2015 movie Trainwreck in Louisiana, Chuck stood by her and offered her support. In fact, in a joint press conference, the Schumer cousins announced Chuck’s three-pronged plan to battle gun violence, while Amy stood beside him and supported it.
Netizens slam Amy Schumer over her latest post on the Israel-Palestine conflict
Amy Schumer has been vocal about the Israel-Palestine conflict since it began on October 7. Her latest post on it was about the media spreading misinformation. She called out major news outlets including BBC News, New York Times, Sky News, and CNN, and demanded:
“Fire…the editors who put terrorist lies on their homepages. Lies that stoke anti-Jewish hatred worldwide. Hold media prejudice accountable.”
Her Instagram Story was in reference to the murder of Palestinian civilians in a Gaza hospital, which according to her was allegedly caused by an “Islamic Jihad missile” but was blamed on Israel by leading Western news outlets. Amy Schumer accused them of practicing “propaganda lies” and not checking facts before making headlines.
However, Amy came under fire for her post and for taking intense political stances. Some even went on to hint that her behavior is directly linked to her relationship with her cousin and politician, Chuck Schumer. Here are some of the backlashes she faced.
So far, neither Amy nor Chuck Schumer has commented on the outrage. However, it is noteworthy that this was not the first controversial post by Amy Schumer in the wake of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Earlier, on October 14, she took to her Instagram Story to share an emotional post:
“First, they came for LGBTQ and I stood up because love is love. Then they came for immigrants and I stood up because families belong together. Then they came for the black community and I stood up because black lives matter. Then they came for me and I stood alone because I am a Jew.”
Prior to that, she shared another post where she confessed to feeling ashamed of her Jewish roots and stated how she used to “laugh along” to antisemitic comments by her classmates to fit in, during her school/college days. Amy also added how as an adult, she now knew better and was proud of her lineage and even mentioned how her ancestors were Holocaust survivors.
In this regard, she also asked her followers to extend their support for Israel and show solidarity by donating to charities that are helping the victims of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Meanwhile, Amy’s cousin, Senator Chuck Schumer, pledged on October 16 after the re-opening of the Senate that he intends to pass a resolution to provide military, intelligence, diplomatic, and humanitarian assistance to Israel in the coming few days and approve extra funds for Israel. He also confirmed that a new U.S. ambassador will be sent to Israel.
This move comes amid Chuck Schumer’s visit to Israel over the weekend, alongside a few of his fellow Senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties.
