The Golden Globes issued a statement on Wednesday denying claims that presenters at the award ceremony were prevented from wearing yellow ribbon pins in solidarity with the Gaza hostages after a representative of Israeli actress Gal Gadot claimed she had been banned from wearing one.
Gadot has faced backlash in recent days after appearing at the award ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday without the yellow ribbon pin, which over the last 15 months has become a way for Israelis to show support for the hostages abducted by the Hamas terror group during the October 7, 2023, attacks.
The 39-year-old actress, who stars as the evil queen in Disney’s soon-to-be-released new version of “Snow White” walked the Golden Globes red carpet before taking to the stage to present the award for best male actor in a drama. Notably absent from her floor-length black gown, however, was the yellow ribbon that has become synonymous worldwide with support for hostages.
Amid criticism over the oversight, a representative for the actress told Hebrew media outlet Ynet that she was not able to don the pin “because she is presenting an award and there are rules.”
The representative claimed that Gadot had been “tormented” by the supposed inability to wear the ribbon pin, and as a compromise, she instead “published a post [on Instagram] calling for the hostages’ release before the ceremony.”
The post, shared by the star, drew attention to the plight of 19-year-old hostage Liri Albag who was the subject of a a Hamas propaganda video released on Saturday.
“This is Liri, only 19 years old. She was abducted by Hamas on October 7th,” Gadot wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday, we received a sign of life from Liri — a sign that sharpened the pain that Liri, along with 99 other hostages, has been held captive in Hamas tunnels for over 450 days.”
“On a personal level, while I prepare for a festive and joyous evening, my heart is heavy and my soul aches knowing the hostages are still there. Every day that passes without an agreement puts their lives in greater danger,” the post continued. “I can’t stop thinking about the families waiting for them, counting the hours, the minutes, clinging to hope. They must come home. We all deserve to see them return, alive.”
Her representative told Ynet that in addition to the social media post, Gadot and her management “thought of a creative solution, and she wore a yellow ring.”
“It was important to her to follow the rules and also to remember the hostages,” the representative reiterated.
On Wednesday, however, a statement obtained by Channel 12 and attributed to James Lee of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the Golden Globe Awards, rejected the assertion that presenters had been forbidden from wearing items representing political or other causes.
“The Golden Globes does not have a policy against wearing pins or other signifiers that support, or are perceived to support, political or social causes,” the statement reads. “Further, no message of any kind was communicated to Gal Gadot or any other presenter/attendee by or on behalf of the Golden Globes, that they could not wear a ribbon to the Golden Globes or to any event associated with the Golden Globes. Any suggestion to the contrary is categorically false.”
“Ribbons and pins have been worn at past ceremonies for a wide variety of causes and issues, and we do not make restrictions on what guests can wear,” the statement reiterated.
Gadot has publicly advocated for Israel over the years, and in particular, since the October 7 Hamas onslaught, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were seized as hostages.
In November 2023, she reportedly organized a screening for the Hollywood community of a film about the atrocities, and the following month, she slammed the international community for its silence over the widespread sexual assault during the massacre and the continued holding of female hostages by Hamas.
She has also donned the yellow ribbon pin at various other events, including at the 36th Israeli Film Festival in LA in November 2024.