Tara Strong has been recast in the animated series Boxtown following tweets the actress made about the ongoing issues in Israel and Palestine, a move Strong alleges is due to her being Jewish.
Earlier this week, the official Boxtown Twitter account said that it would be recasting Strong in the role of Bill. In an official statement later in the week, the series’ Twitter confirmed that Strong was “no longer involved” with the series or Bandit Mill Animation in any way.
While the statement didn’t point to anything specific, it did note that Strong’s “recent online activity, including posts that promote controversial messages regarding the peoples of Palestine,” were a factor in the decision.
The statement ended by noting that Boxtown and Bandit Mill Animation felt for “the Palestinian and Israeli children and families being affected by the ongoing conflict.”
Strong responds to the news, claims she was “fired for being Jewish”
Fans began to criticize Strong after she reportedly liked a tweet that equated all Muslims to the Hamas and ISIS organizations, and equated Islam to terrorism. Although Strong did say acknowledge that she didn’t read through the whole tweet before liking it, fans criticized her for the decision as well as a handful of other tweets the actress made on the ongoing issues.
In reponse to Boxtown’s decision to recast her, Strong took to Twitter to say that she found out about the news via social media. Strong didn’t mince words about the decision either, claiming that she was “fired for being Jewish.” Boxtown writer Spencer Rothbell called that “an absurd claim to make,” and noted that several Jewish people are currently working on Boxtown, including the main voice actor, Alex Hirsch.
Boxtown is an upcoming indie adult animated series created by Charlie Gavin. The series follows Tim Standing, “a washed-up private detective, and an 8-year old orphan named Bill (who harbors a hidden murderous streak), who team up to solve mysteries in the fictional crime-ridden city of Boxtown.”