Disney Blamed Rachel Zegler For Death Threats Against Snow White Co-Star Gal Gadot, Increased Security: Report

Disney Blamed Rachel Zegler For Death Threats Against Snow White Co-Star Gal Gadot, Increased Security: Report (Credit: Twitter)

Rachel Zegler’s promotion of Disney’s Snow White was overshadowed by a series of controversial social media posts, raising questions about the studio’s handling of its star and the film’s subsequent performance. It all started on August 12, 2024, when the actress shared a post celebrating the success of the film’s trailer, which had amassed 120 million views in just 24 hours. However, her subsequent tweet, which added the phrase “free Palestine,” quickly garnered widespread attention. The political statement set off alarm bells within Disney, with executives voicing concerns over the potential impact on the film’s commercial success.

Rachel Zegler feud with Disney

Behind the scenes, the fallout extended beyond just the studio. Zegler’s co-star, Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, became the target of online threats, forcing Disney to provide additional security for the actress. Despite the backlash, Zegler remained firm in her stance, and the post stayed up.

“[Zegler] didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone,” an insider told Variety.

A Disney executive talked to Zegler’s team about the studio’s concerns, and the film’s producer, Marc Platt, flew to New York to speak with her directly. However, Rachel, whose relationship with Disney had already been strained since 2022 during the West Side Story awards season and after she criticised the original Snow White, refused to remove the post. Meanwhile, death threats against her co-star, Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, increased, and Disney had to provide extra security for her.

Further complicating matters, Rachel made additional political statements after the U.S. presidential election, including disparaging remarks about Donald Trump and his supporters. This only deepened her strained relationship with Disney, which had already been struggling with the film’s troubled production and reshoots.

To regain control, Disney hired a social media expert to vet Zegler’s posts moving forward. However, despite these efforts, the film’s release on March 21, 2025, was met with a disappointing box office performance. The film grossed just $87 million worldwide, far below expectations for a $270 million production.

The lacklustre performance is part of a broader trend for Disney, as recent live-action remakes like Dumbo and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil have also underperformed. The failure of Snow White underscores the challenges facing Disney, especially when stars like Zegler clash with the studio’s promotional strategy.

Earlier this month, Gal Gadot explained why she chose to stand with Israel after protesters interrupted her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. She told Variety, “There is a challenge for people to speak on social media because there is so much hate going on and so many bots and so many angry people that are looking for a cause.”

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