Ms. Rachelis apologizing for liking a controversial comment on social media.
The wildly popular children's entertainer,whose legal name is Rachel Accurso, drew criticism after screenshots circulated showing her account had liked a comment which read: "Free America from the Jews."
The statement was in the comment section of a now-deleted post on Accurso's account that read: "Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, Free Iran,"according to Variety. Accurso, who has been outspoken about her opposition to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, responded Jan. 22 with ascreenshot of a conversationshe had with a follower. In it, after the user informs her of the comment, Accurso writes: "I believe I deleted that earlier right when I saw it! I hate antisemitism."
Yes, even Ms. Rachel puts'Ms. Rachel' on for her kids
"Obviously the like and hiding was just tapping and thought it was deleted," she wrote in a caption alongside the screenshot. "This is from yesterday. People are allowed to make mistakes. I am super sorry for any confusion it caused.
"I delete antisemitism ANY time I see it," she added. "I am against all forms of hate including antisemitism against the Jewish people." Ina follow-up post on Threads, Accurso chalked the incident up to technical confusion and high emotions, ending her statement with: "I'm just not going to engage with comments or have them on."
Accurso added that she was "exhausted" and doubled down on her apology ina video posted to Instagram. The children's advocate, clearly emotional, said she was "a human who makes mistakes," explaining that when she thought she deleted the comment, she may have actually liked it. "Everyone who knows me knows that I would never like that," she explained.
In a statement provided to USA TODAY Friday, a rep for Accurso characterized the incident as an accident.
"On Wednesday, I accidentally liked a hateful comment on my social media while trying to delete it. I have always been completely clear on this; I do not support language that targets or harms the Jewish community or any community," the statement read. "Antisemitism and hate of any kind have no place in my life or my work. Everything I do is rooted in kindness, inclusion, and care for all humanity. Those values guide me every day, and I remain firmly committed to them."
Accurso, a YouTube educator and one of Glamour's Women of the Year, has become many kids' favorite celebrity in recent years, gracing their screens with colorful videos and catchy songs. She started filming "Ms. Rachel for Littles" in 2019, and has since become one of the most-watched women in America.
Ms. Rachel told USA TODAYearlier this year that she sees it as her responsibility to speak about the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. Celebrated by some, her advocacy has been cast by others as antisemitic. In July, she posted that sherefused to work with anyonewho hadn't spoken out. She partnered withSave the Children, a humanitarian nonprofit, and has used her platform to highlight the stories ofvarious Palestinian children. She keeps in touch with many of her young Palestinian fans over Instagram.
Her advocacy has made her a target of online hate andpro-Israel groups. In April, the advocacy groupStopAntisemitismaskedAttorney General Pam Bondito investigate if Accurso was "being funded by a foreign party to push anti-Israel propaganda to skew public opinion." In response, Accurso maintained that her position comes from empathy for all kids.
"I believe that all children have fundamental human rights and there's never a reason to deny them of those rights. It's so simple that when we take care of children and allow them to meet their full potential, that's the right thing to do," Accurso told USA TODAY.
Contributing: Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ms. Rachel apologizes after backlash for liking antisemitic comment
