Rachel Accurso, the prominent children’s entertainer known as Ms. Rachel, came under fire after screenshots circulated online that showed her Instagram account liking a comment that read, “Free america from the Jews.”
The antisemitic comment appeared under a now-deleted post shared by Accurso that read “Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, Free Iran.”
The screenshots of Accurso “liking” the comment prompted condemnation from Jewish advocacy groups and other followers of Ms. Rachel, who has more than 18 million subscribers on YouTube and whose education program for toddlers was the ninth most-watched show on Netflix in the back half of 2025. Variety reached out to Accurso’s representative for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Accurso posted a screenshot of a follower alerting her that she had liked the antisemitic comment, to which Accurso replied, “Deleted – how horrible – oh wait let me check – I did delete one like that … Ya I believe I deleted that earlier right when I saw it! I hate antisemitism.” In the caption, Accurso said she meant to delete the comment but instead tapped the like button. “People are allowed to make mistakes,” she wrote. “I am super sorry for any confusion it caused. I delete antisemitism ANY time I see it. I am against all forms of hate including antisemitism against the Jewish people.”
Accurso also posted a video in which she offers a tearful apology for the gaffe, saying, “I thought I deleted a comment and I accidentally hit ‘like.’”
“I’m a human who makes mistakes,” Accurso added through tears. “I feel like we can’t be human anymore online. … Everyone who knows me knows I would never like that.”
Accurso is a children’s rights advocate who has raised more than $1 million for organizations supporting children in conflict zones including Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. She has been especially vocal about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and she is a strong critic of Israel. In one of her videos, she sang with a 3-year-old double amputee from Gaza, and this year she curated an exhibition of artwork from Palestinian kids, with all proceeds going to the child artists. She wrote on Instagram that she would not collaborate with “anyone who hasn’t spoken out about Gaza.”
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Accurso has frequently defended her activism against internet backlash, while her behavior online has been a topic of scrutiny from various advocacy groups. HonestReporting, an Israeli media watchdog, published a report on Thursday that said Accurso’s “actions fit a broader pattern of antisemitic misinformation shared with her millions of followers.”
Per the report: “Everyone has accidentally liked a post while mindlessly scrolling through social media. But when that ‘accident’ becomes multiple engagements with blatantly antisemitic comments – alongside posts that are explicitly antisemitic – it can no longer be dismissed as clumsy thumbs on a small phone screen.”
The report includes a screenshot that appears to show Accurso engaging with a comment from an Instagram account that frequently praises Hamas and harasses Jews. The post, allegedly written under Accurso’s apology video, claimed “They” — meaning the Jews — “left the [antisemitic] comment themselves,” and Accurso reportedly responded, “ooooooooooohhhhh.”
Several public figures stood by Accurso in the comment section under her apology video. “Broad City” star Ilana Glazer, wrote, “a literal BILLION people around the world KNOW your clear, loving, human rights-centered heart.” NSYNC singer Lance Bass added, “ZERO people think this was intentional. The ones pretending have their own agenda obviously.”
From Variety US