Israeli comedian Guy Hochman, who already had a show cancelled on his recent North American tour due to threats from anti-Israel protesters, has now refused to make accusations against and denunciations of Israel in order to secure a performance venue in Los Angeles, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
Hochman released a statement on Instagram signed by Screening Services Group president Michael S. Hall, who said his company had rented the Fine Arts Theatre to a promoter who had booked Hochman, a comic known for entertaining Israeli troops and evacuees following the October 7 massacre. Hall said that his company had not known anything about Hochman, but then received allegations about the comedian.
Hall’s statement went on to say, “We began receiving complaints about the performer Guy Hochman on Wednesday. We researched online and could not find any proof of the accusations other than from the original accuser.”
Hall said that the company invited Hochman “to refute the allegations and to release a press release and post on his social media that he did not support the genocide, rape, starvation, and torture of Palestinian civilians. He declined to do so. He is now banned from our facility.”
In the last few lines of the statement, Hall wrote, “Our company is not political and does not ask the political beliefs of those that rent from us. We want to make it very clear that we don’t support genocide against any group anywhere in the world.”
Criticism and backtracking
Hall’s statement and the company’s conduct drew criticism from many who called the demands for a denunciation of Israel antisemitic, pointing to the fact that Hochman was being treated as a representative of the Israeli government in a way that no one from any other country would be.
Hall later backtracked, issuing a second statement to THR in which he said, “I want to apologize, especially to the Jewish community, for my statement and for how this situation was handled. I understand that my decision caused harm and distress to many people in the community, and I take responsibility for that.”
Saying that he and the theater received “a large volume of messages, including threats of violence,” he added that he had then canceled the show “without giving the matter the careful thought and judgment it required.”
In the second statement, Hall went on to say, “While I do not necessarily agree with the viewpoints of every performer who appears at the theatre, it was wrong to ask any artist to make political or ideological statements as a condition of appearing. Imposing a litmus test of any kind was a mistake and should never have happened.”
Hall said Hochman was welcome to perform at the theater, “providing it can be done safely.”
But when THR reached out to Hochman for comment, the comedian called the apology insincere and said it was the result of pressure on Hall and his company from influential people, such as businessman and entertainment mogul Haim Saban.
“I don’t want to perform there because he subjected me to a test,” said Hochman. “It was a loyalty test. I prefer my people above my career. And I will never say untrue things about my people, say we rape and starve and commit genocide. This is not the story. I don’t believe it. And it’s cynical.”
This was not the first difficult moment on Hochman’s tour. On Tuesday, he was forced to cancel a performance in New York after protesters gathered outside the Broadway Comedy Club. Hochman defiantly performed on the street for his fans in freezing temperatures.
On Monday, Hochman was detained at the Canadian border for six hours before being allowed to travel to a performance in Toronto.
Hochman told THR: “They asked me about everything. They asked what I did in the army. They asked about my parents and family, my life, and what I do. I didn’t understand.”
He said he was released without charges, adding, “But I got a letter from Canada that my visa is over and revoked.”
In Toronto, there were protesters outside the venue, but he was able to perform, even though a protester allegedly tried to attack him.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) announced a week ago that it would file a criminal complaint with Canadian authorities against him, ahead of his scheduled performance.
Hochman told THR that he might find an alternate venue in Los Angeles to perform in: “We’ll find a new venue and do it there. The IAC, Israeli American Council, is looking into doing it through another theater, but I don’t know if it’s available. I only have one day because I fly back to Israel the next day.”
Tzvi Jasper contributed to this report.