Dutch-Canadian firm fires porn star Mia Khalifa over comments on Hamas’ attack

Red Light Holland announced on Tuesday that it terminated its contract with the Lebanese-American former porn star Mia Khalifa due to her posts online supporting Hamas' attack. The Canadian firm operating in the Netherlands attributed this decision to “her disgusting tweets celebrating rape, kidnapping, abuse, and murder by Hamas terrorists in Israel.”

Red Light Holland is headquartered in Toronto with operations and distributions in the Netherlands. The company is notably active in the production, growth, and sale of a brand of psilocybin truffles in the Netherlands. Mia Khalifa was hired by the company as an advisor in April 2023 in exchange for stock options which had not vested at the time she was fired.

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday, Khalifa posted several comments on social media to express solidarity with Palestinian people, and referred to Hamas members as “freedom fighters.” She notably wrote, “If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid, and history will show that in time.” She also wrote, “I can't believe the Zionist apartheid regime is being brought down by guerrilla fighters in fake Gucci shirts - the biopics of these moments had better reflect that.”

She followed that up later by stating, “I just wanna make sure there’s 4k footage of my people breaking down the walls of the open air prison they’ve been forced out of their homes and into so we have good options for the history books that write about how how they freed themselves from apartheid.”

On Tuesday, Red Light Holland condemned "her disgusting and gross tweets and Instagram posts" regarding Hamas, stating they “most definitely do not reflect or represent our views as a company.” CEO Todd Shapiro added that, “We are all about love. I mean, after all, we are in the magic mushroom (truffle) business. Mia, on the other hand, has chosen pure hatred over love, and her unconscionable choices have consequences.”

Todd Shapiro previously responded to her posts on X on Sunday. “Consider yourself fired, effective immediately. Simply disgusting. Beyond disgusting. Please evolve and become a better human being. The fact you are condoning death, rape, beatings, and hostage-taking is truly gross. No words can explain your ignorance," he wrote on X.

In response to his post, Mia Khalifa wrote, “I stand with all people fighting oppression, now and always. Do your research before begging for my investment in your little project. I'm from LEBANON. Are you insane for expecting me to be on the side of colonialism, you fucking weirdo?”

Later that day, she admitted on X that expressing support for Palestinians had cost her business opportunities, but added she blamed herself “for not checking whether or not I was entering into business with Zionists.”

Adult magazine Playboy also announced its decision to terminate its relationship with Mia Khalifa, citing her social media posts expressing support for Palestine and Hamas. In an email to subscribers sent on Monday, the magazine condemned Khalifa's comments as "disgusting and reprehensible,” particularly her celebration of Hamas's attacks on Israel.

“We expect Mia to understand that her words and actions have consequences,” they wrote. As of Tuesday, Khalifa’s content creator page was no longer available on Playboy’s website.