SO. Anti-Israel actress Rachel Zegler and YouTuber Ms. Rachel named Glamour magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’
CLIFTON, New Jersey — Glamour magazine’s latest “Women of the Year” include a pair of Rachels — both of them with a trail of controversies over the Israel-Hamas war.
Actress Rachel Zegler and children’s YouTuber Ms. Rachel were added to the magazine’s annual list of high-achieving women Monday, joining actress Demi Moore and singer Tyla for this year’s awards so far.
Both had explosive years, with 24-year-old Zegler becoming a household name after spouting off a string of tone-deaf hot takes while promoting the release of Disney’s live-action theatrical bomb “Snow White,” and then going on to star in the hit musical “Evita.”
Ms. Rachel — a 42-year-old mom whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso — meanwhile, continued to amass a commanding following on YouTube, where her educational children’s videos have been watched more than 10 billion times.
But the pair have also been dogged by controversy in the last year after both became outspoken about the Israel-Hamas war.
Zegler infamously caused chaos for Disney after she posted “and always remember, free Palestine” shortly after the Snow White trailer first dropped. Later reports claimed that she and her Israeli co-star, Gal Gadot, were butting heads over the conflict.
The Anti-Defamation League notes that the seemingly benign rallying cry has at times been used “to intimidate and attack Jews and Jewish institutions and to justify violence committed against Jews globally.”
Notably, the phrase was shouted by accused DC Israeli Embassy assassin Elias Rodriguez as he gunned down a pair of young diplomats in May, as well as Boulder, Colo. firebomber Mohamed Soliman.
Gregory Liosi, artistic director of the Hackensack Performing Arts Center who directed Zegler in several productions at Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, defended his now-famous protege.
“Everybody is going to have an opinion, and I will never fault anyone for having one,” he told The Post.
“There comes a point where one of the things that come with maturity and age is knowing when and where to express your opinions,” he conceded.
“I don’t see that she did anything wrong. I just see that she did something that any kid would do, and it just so happens that she did under a microscope that the whole world could see.”
Zegler attended the all-girls Catholic high school which closed in 2023.
Joseph Azzolino, the former longtime president and principal of the school who was there when Zegler graduated in 2019, admitted he wasn’t exactly sure what she said that was offensive.
“I can’t make anything of it other than to say I hope she’s being guided properly. As an educator you hope your students are being taught and guided properly,” he told The Post.
But Zegler’s commentary on the Israeli-Hamas war, and general unpleasant demeanor on the promotion trail, could have cost Disney a boatload of money.
Jonah Platt, son of “Snow White” producer Marc Platt, went so far as to say Zegler’s anti-Israel social media posting “clearly hurt the film’s box office” in a since-deleted Instagram comment.
The 2025 iteration of the Disney classic cost a whopping $270 million but catastrophically tanked in theaters, even prompting the House of Mouse to rethink several upcoming live-action adaptations of other iconic animated films.
Zegler drew additional ire with an unhinged social media post following the second election victory of President Trump, writing “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,” warning the US was heading toward “another four years of hatred.”
She later apologized for the post after an outcry. However she has refused to delete her “free Palestine” tweets.
She also courted contention recently after denigrating the original 1937 Snow White movie, calling it a “dated” movie about “a guy who literally stalks” the main character, and suggesting Prince Charming could be nixed from the film.
Ms. Rachel, meanwhile, shares more than just a name with the actress.
Despite singing songs about the ABCs for kids, Griffin Accurso also found herself facing fury last year over her own comments about Gaza.
She made numerous posts about the deaths of children in Gaza and recorded herself praying for Palestinian kids in the war-torn strip, prompting StopAntisemitism to request a Department of Justice Investigation into whether she was being backed by Hamas.
“This is a prayer for children in Gaza,” she sang, “this is a prayer for children in Israel. This is a prayer for all the children: Please stop hurting them. This is a prayer for all the civilians. This is a prayer for all the hostages. This is a prayer for all the innocent. Please stop hurting them.”
StopAntisemitism highlighted at least 50 posts Griffin Accurso made about Gazan children — including images of a malnourished-looking child who was suffering from cystic fibrosis — but only about five posts about Israeli kids affected by the conflict.
Griffin Accurso remained largely mum on the accusations, but later said she supported all children — Israeli and Gazan alike.
Over the summer, Griffin Accurso posted a video joined by her “friend” Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza, who has called upon his large social media following to support the “resistance” and once wrote on X “May God curse the Jews themselves.”
Also receiving the mag’s “Women of the Year” honors are a quintet of WNBA players and legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath.
