New York City witnessed a star-studded evening as singer Taylor Swift and actor Selena Gomez attended comedian Ramy Youssef’s stand-up comedy show dedicated to raising funds for humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.
The event took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of Youssef’s “Ramy Youssef: more feelings” stand-up tour.
Ramy Youssef announced on Instagram that all proceeds from the remaining tour dates, including stops in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and San Francisco, would be donated to ANERA. The non-governmental organization focuses on providing humanitarian relief to people in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The event drew a crowd of notable figures, with British model Cara Delevingne and actors Anya Taylor-Joy and Zoe Kravitz among the attendees.
However, initial coverage by publications such as People Magazine and Vogue centered around the celebrities’ fashion choices rather than emphasizing the event’s purpose and the humanitarian cause it supported.
ANERA, established after the 1967 Six-Day War, works to address the needs of Palestinian refugees by investing in education, agriculture, water, sanitation, and health programs.
Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, who were present at the fundraising comedy show, had faced criticism in the past for their initial silence on the Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Selena Gomez received backlash for a social media post that some deemed insufficient in addressing the severity of the situation. However, Rare Beauty, the beauty brand founded by Selena Gomez, later announced donations to organizations including the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies, Israeli Magen David Adom, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and UNICEF.
Pro-Palestinian advocates have consistently urged celebrities to use their platforms to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
While Selena has since signed a letter with other celebrities urging the U.S. government to call for a ceasefire, Taylor Swift’s stance on the matter remains unclear as she has not made any public statement regarding the Israeli attacks in Gaza.
