Cruel Intentions star Selma Blair has parted ways with her agents at CAA and the publicity team following the fallout caused by an Islamophobic comment she made on social media earlier this month.
The 51-year-old star came under fire after eagle-eyed fans spotted her comment under an Instagram video on February 2.
Now sources have confirmed to DailyMail.com that the Legally Blonde star will no longer be represented by Creative Artists Agency and has also stopped partnering with publicity team Narrative.
Changes have also been made to his management and legal representation, as Blair is no longer a client of manager Troy Nankin of Wishlab or attorney Cheryl Snow of Gang, Tire, Ramer, Brown & Passman.
The Hellboy star is now represented by manager Ben Gaynor, who is also Wishlab’s manager, and attorney Joshua Reitzas of Berlandi Nussbaum & Reitzas.
Selma Blair has parted ways with her agents at CAA and the publicity team following the fallout caused by an Islamophobic comment she made on Instagram.
The February 2 comment called for the deportation of Democratic Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, calling them “thugs who support terrorism” and stating that “Islam has destroyed Muslim countries.”
The furor began when Blair commented on a video posted by Abraham Hamra, a Syrian Jewish refugee, who criticized squad members Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush for being the only members of Congress to vote against a measure banning anyone from participating in the terrorism of October 7. Immigration attacks on the United States.
In a now-deleted comment, he wrote: ‘Thank you so much. Deport all these thugs who support terrorism. Islam has destroyed the Muslim countries and then they come here and destroy the minds.
‘They know they are liars. Twisted justifications. May they find their destiny.’
In the video, Hamra calls Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, a “liar,” a “moron,” and a “hateful anti-Semitic.”
“The truth,” says Hamra, “is that the Jews have been victims of the Arabs, and not the other way around.”
Tlaib defended her “no” vote, saying it is “redundant to existing federal law.”
“It’s just another GOP messaging bill used to incite anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate that makes communities like ours unsafe,” he said.
Days later, Blair apologized after the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, condemned his statement.
The Legally Blonde actress, 51, claimed she “wrongly and inadvertently confused Muslims with radical Islamists and fundamentalists.”
In a lengthy apology post, Blair attempted to reaffirm his support for “all marginalized communities.”
Blair claimed that he “inadvertently confused Muslims with fundamentalists” when he wrote: “This is a time of great pain and distress for many around the world, but it is also a time to learn and better understand the importance of words.”
“In my comment, I mistakenly and inadvertently confused Muslims with radical Islamists and fundamentalists, a terrible mistake in my words, which resulted in hurting countless people that was never my intention, and I deeply regret it.”
He highlighted the fact that he quickly deleted the comment and continued: “I was wrong in my writing and I fully acknowledge how I contributed to the Muslim community being understandably very upset.” I respect and love all peace-loving communities, all over the world.
‘It was my Muslim friends who helped educate me and show me the way. I am committed to repaying your love and understanding. We cannot allow ignorance and anger to become (sic) our downfall.’
Blair ended the apology by reaffirming his support for marginalized communities and promising to “do better.”
Meanwhile, Blair was also criticized by a disability advocate who claimed the actress hung up the phone when he tried to confront her about her hateful post.
Maria Town, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, took to Instagram to share her scathing comments.
He said he had clashed with The Sweetest Thing star, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, in a conversation that “didn’t go well” despite them having previously worked together.
Many social media users commented that the statement seemed false, and the star also criticized posts she liked on X, formerly Twitter.
Some critics noted that the apology did not address his comments about Tlaib (left) and Bush (right).
She wrote: ‘I have read Selma Blair’s Islamophobic, racist and hateful comments. Her comments are harmful and wrong.
‘Since she is someone I have worked with, I wanted to talk to her and call her before sharing my thoughts publicly.
‘I contacted her and her manager several times to talk. I finally got to talk to her today.’
Town, who is from Louisiana, continued: ‘The conversation didn’t go well.
‘At first he acted like he didn’t know what I was talking about and asked what I was talking about when I told him I was alarmed by his recent posts.
‘I referenced your posts and directly repeated your words. I said you can publicly disagree with people, including members of Congress, without being racist or wishing them harm.
‘The conversation ended when she said to me: “Maria, I would like you to think for yourself for once,” and she hung up on me.
‘As he shared in the apology he recently posted, he told me he meant “Islamists” and not “Islam.”
‘I responded that this change did not make his comments any less Islamophobic or racist. The conversation evolved from there.
The post continued: “If he hadn’t hung up, I would have told him that you can support the Jewish people without being Islamophobic.”
‘In fact, you can support Jews and Muslims at the same time.
‘Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism have no place anywhere, especially within rights and justice movements or efforts for inclusion.
Blair was also criticized by a disability advocate who claimed the actress hung up the phone when he tried to confront her about her “hateful” Islamophobic post.
Maria Town, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, took to Instagram to share her scathing comments following the couple’s interaction.
Maria, who previously worked as a senior associate director in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement, shared a series of slides to divulge details of the apparent exchange.
‘Racist and nationalist systems create a false choice: the idea that the presence of another group is a threat to one’s own security.
‘Using fear to justify further harm to people is no justification. Using fear for one’s safety to justify Islamophobia and racism does not make anyone safer or more protected. “It only creates more fear.”
Town had even more to say when he concluded: ‘When people with great visibility and ability to influence culture repeat Islamophobic and racist ideas, these systems become even more entrenched in our politics, in our society, in our minds.
“When people like me, and by this I mean specifically white people who were raised or cultured within a Christian community, do not speak out against Islamophobia and the associated racism and hatred, because “we don’t know enough” or ” that is not our problem.” “We allow this hatred to perpetuate and grow.
“When people like me, those who are close to people like Selma Blair, do not express hate when we see it, whether in one-on-one conversations, public forums, etc., we perpetuate harm.
“Despite Selma’s assessment of me, I think for myself and know that her kind of hate is never acceptable.”
Following the uproar caused by her comment, Blair was also criticized for the posts she liked on X, formerly Twitter.
These included vague statements denouncing ‘Antifa’ and ‘the woke agenda,’ as well as a viral conspiracy theory linking an early version of Minnesota’s new state flag to Somalia.
‘Armed citizens do not need legislation to defend themselves or their state/country. It’s our God-given right to do so,” reads a comment I liked.
Other social media users noted that she had liked other anti-Muslim comments, including one that called Islam “the religion of evil, created in hell” and another that called it “a hateful (sic) and violent sect.”
Blair’s account on the platform has since been deleted.
Rates of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have skyrocketed in the United States since October 7, when Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli cities, killing civilians and taking hostages.
The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased 388 percent in the four weeks after October 7, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Likewise, CAIR reported that the number of Islamophobic incidents in the United States increased by 216 percent during the same period.