Selma Blair Says One Comment Cost Her Every Business Deal in a Single Day

Selma Blair is opening up about the fallout from her February 2024 social media comment that was criticized as anti-Islamic. Speaking Thursday at the Anti-Defamation League’s State of the Arts reception, she said brands she worked with vanished within a day, along with her agency, lawyer, publicist, book agent and a manager she described as a friend of 30 years. Her summary of it all:“No one returned my calls.”

For context, Blair had posted a comment about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict calling for the deportation of“terrorist-supporting goons.”She deleted it, apologized for conflating Muslims with radical Islamists, then deleted that apology too. At the ADL event, she said she still doesn’t know what the people who cut ties with her were thinking.

The story is kicking off a bigger debate about what an apology is actually worth. Some say the consequences were earned. Others say a person who owns a mistake deserves a path back, especially when even longtime friends walk away without a word. Either way, it’s a reminder that a single post can reshape an entire career in less time than it takes to type a reply.

Would you forgive a public figure who apologized for a comment like this, or is some damage permanent? Sound off in the comments.