Calls for Gaza ceasefire take the spotlight at 2025 Emmy Awards

Some of the entertainment industry's biggest stars used their appearance at the 2025 Emmy Awards on Sunday to turn the spotlight on the devastating situation in Gaza, where they voiced opposition to Israel's genocidal war and backed calls for political and cultural boycotts.

Wearing a black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh in a visible display of solidarity, Hollywood A-lister Javier Bardem told reporters that he was calling for a "commercial and diplomatic blockade" of Israel and sanctions "to stop the genocide."

"Here I am today, denouncing the genocide in Gaza," Bardem, who was nominated for his role in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, told Variety.

"I am talking about the IAGS, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, who study thoroughly genocide and have declared it is a genocide.

"That's why we ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine."

Bardem, an Oscar winner known for using his platform to speak on political issues, also said he would not work with individuals or companies who "justify or support the genocide."

"I cannot work with someone who justifies or supports the genocide. That's as simple as that," he said. "We shouldn't be able to do that, in this industry or any other industry."