Comedian Michael Rapaport’s Birmingham show axed over Israel support

Despite missing his performance, Rapaport connected with members of Birmingham’s Jewish community.

By Jewish Breaking News

A Birmingham comedy club abruptly canceled Michael Rapaport’s Tuesday night performance after protests and threats targeted the comedian for his outspoken support of Israel and demands to free the hostages still held in Gaza.

“My show tonight at the Stardome in Alabama was CANCELLED,” Rapaport announced on X.

“I did not cancel. I would never cancel—especially since I’m already here in Birmingham, ready to perform.”

“It was shut down because of protests and threats over my support for Israel and for speaking up about the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza,” he said.

“Six hundred and seventy days in captivity—and people are protesting me for demanding their release? It’s embarrassing. It’s sad. But I’m not ashamed. I stand by what I say and who I stand with.”

Stardome Comedy Club hasn’t publicly addressed the cancellation although event details for Rapaport’s show vanished from the comedy club’s website, though cached previews showed doors were set to open at 6:15 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.

Rapaport’s journey to becoming one of the most vocal Jewish advocates in entertainment began with his own awakening after October 7, 2023.

The actor, known for roles in “True Romance” and “Friends,” had described himself as a “very classic New York lox and bagels Jew” who had never even visited Israel before the Hamas terror attack.

Describing the transformation as a deep awakening, the actor’s Instagram page has since become dedicated to supporting Israel, and he has traveled to the Jewish state in solidarity five times, appearing on Israeli comedy shows and speaking at weekly hostage rallies in Tel Aviv.

His support has come at a professional cost. In April, he revealed that he’s “having a hard time getting acting jobs due to his outspoken support for Israel,” but insisted he felt “there was no choice.”

Despite missing Hollywood opportunities, he said he has “not the slightest bit of regret.”

Despite missing his performance, Rapaport connected with members of Birmingham’s Jewish community.

He posted a photo with two people from Chabad of Alabama, describing his day as salvaged by something more meaningful than comedy.

“Fortunately, I got to meet some incredible people from Chabad of Alabama today and had the blessing of wrapping tefillin—a ginormous mitzvah and a reminder of what really matters,” he wrote. “Am Yisrael Chai.”