Who is Salma Hindy? All about comedian accusing Chelsea Handler of firing her over pro-Palestine comments 

Salma Hindy has made multiple headlines recently, as the comedian has publicly accused Chelsea Handler of firing her over her pro-Palestine support. As per a report shared by Deadline, Handler has denied ever firing the Egyptian-Canadian comedian. Hindy, who is now thirty-five years old, claimed that Chelsea Handler tried "to get rid of me" for speaking up about Palestinians.

Handler, who is now fifty-one years old, pushed back on social media, insisting she never fired the comedian. Hindy has over sixty thousand followers on Instagram, while Handler has over five million. Salma Hindy is best known for starring as the lead voice in Ramy Youssef's A24/Amazon adult animated series #1 Happy Family USA.

Hindy is also a Canadian Screen Award winner for her writing on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Back in 2023, Hindy performed a two-person dark comedy show called Parallel at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which the British Comedy Guide recommended.

Chelsea Handler says Hindy quit and shares screenshots to back her claim:

Chelsea Handler did not stay quiet for long. The comedian commented directly on Hindy's Instagram video, flatly contradicting her account of what happened.

"Ah, that's actually not what happened. You quit opening for me, and I have the emails from your agents. Your agent is full of it. I would never fire someone for disagreeing with me politically on this issue," Handler wrote.

The Steam actress then added,

"And I never fired her. Period. Not on this issue."

As per a report shared by Deadline, Handler also shared screenshots of her communications with Hindy. The screenshots appear to show Hindy dropping out of a show she had claimed was canceled without her knowledge, a situation which directly contradicts her version of events. The screenshots also show Handler approving Hindy's travel reimbursement, which Hindy had claimed Handler's team refused to pay.

Salma Hindy claims Handler's screenshots do not tell the full story:

Hindy pushed back on Handler's screenshots, claiming they were from a completely different situation that took place two years before the specific event she had originally brought up. As per Hindy, the screenshots Handler shared simply do not reflect what actually happened.

Hindy also opened up about why she walked away from Handler's tour, sharing that her manager played a big role in that decision.

"My manager told me that he believed I was being pushed out because of Palestine. These were not direct written statements from Chelsea, but they were the context in which I withdrew," explained Hindy.

Things have since gotten more serious. Hindy shared that Handler privately reached out to tell her she had contacted lawyers, with Handler reportedly considering Hindy's account libelous. Hindy has been clear that she isn't the one looking to escalate legally, though she is now seeking advice to protect herself. She also took to social media to put out a public call for legal help.

"Chelsea has now privately told me she contacted her lawyers and considers my account libelous. I am not initiating legal action," shared Hindy.

"I'm seeking advice to protect myself. If you're an attorney experienced in defamation, media/First Amendment law, or Palestine-related retaliation who can consult or assist pro bono, please contact me privately," she continued.

Salma Hindy details how her opener role with Handler unraveled after Palestine discussion:

On Wednesday, Hindy posted a video publicly detailing her account of what happened between her and the This Means War actress, saying that

"I lost my position as Chelsea Handler's opener after I spoke to her about Palestine."

Hindy shared that she had opened for Handler on two tours since 2022, and that the two

"generally had a very loving, warm sisterly relationship."

That changed when Salma Hindy approached the Fun Size actress about the Palestine-Israel conflict, following posts made by Handler's friends Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer, which Hindy described as "disgustingly racist, dehumanizing" toward Palestinians. As per Hindy, Handler ignored her and removed her from three shows.

Salma Hindy also alleged that Handler later canceled two shows last minute due to severe weather, without notifying her. And although Handler's team bought her a plane ticket back to New York City, Hindy claimed they refused to reimburse her for the travel.

Her manager's assessment of the situation was blunt, as Salma Hindy alleged he told her that

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"Chelsea Handler is trying to get rid of [Hindy] because of the Palestine thing, but she doesn't want to say it so that she doesn't incriminate herself."

The fallout comes amid wider pro-Palestine tension in the entertainment industry. As per reports, Ed Sheeran dropped Macklemore from his Loop Tour following pressure from Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft and other venues, over Macklemore's "Free Palestine" speech at recent shows.

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