Gwyneth Paltrow Is Getting Torched Online for Her Tone-Deaf Luxury Real Estate Pitch, and the Timing Reveals a Massive Lapse in Judgment
Whitewashed settler colonialism.
Gwyneth Paltrow is facing a wave of online backlash after starring in a luxury real estate ad for a high-rise project in Israel, and the timing couldn’t be worse. The 53-year-old actress and Goop founder appears in a promotional video for 51 Park, a 51-story residential tower in Herzliya, a coastal city just north of Tel Aviv. In the ad, per CNN, Paltrow delivers a sleek, aspirational pitch, saying, “There’s a reason the world’s most iconic buildings are by a park. 51 Park.”
When asked if the building is in New York, she casually replies, “Herzliya. Israel.” The clip, released this week, has since ignited a firestorm of criticism, with many calling her involvement tone-deaf given the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the devastating humanitarian crisis there. While Paltrow didn’t post the ad on her own Instagram, users flooded her recent posts with Palestinian flags and messages like “Free Palestine” in multiple languages.
The criticism isn’t just about the ad itself but the broader context. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed over 72,000 Palestinians since 2023, and the war has left the region in ruins. Many see Paltrow’s promotion of luxury real estate in Israel as a glaring disconnect from the suffering of Palestinians. Activist Alana Hadid said, “Dude the level of unhinged capitalism is f—ing astounding. Brutal. Girl. Have you opened a newspaper or watch the news. This is not even tone deaf it’s actually complicit.”
Public opinion on Israel has shifted dramatically
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 67% of adults across 36 countries hold an unfavorable view of Israel, while only 25% view it positively. The backlash against Paltrow isn’t just about her personal beliefs; it’s about the optics of promoting luxury living in a country accused of genocide by multiple human rights organizations. Israel has denied these allegations but the International Court of Justice is currently hearing a genocide case against the country.
Paltrow’s background adds another layer to the debate. Raised in an interfaith Jewish-Christian family, she has been open about celebrating Jewish holidays. After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, she was among a group of Hollywood stars who signed a letter urging then-President Joe Biden to help free hostages held in Gaza. She has consistently been vocal about her support for Israel.
The ad itself is sleek and polished, shot in New York with Paltrow narrating a glamorous morning routine. But the contrast between the aspirational tone and the reality on the ground in Gaza has made it a lightning rod for criticism. According to CBC, satirist account Saint Hoax posted a scathing critique of Paltrow’s participation, which quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of likes and sparked a broader conversation online.
Makeup influencer Matt Bernstein didn’t mince words either, calling the ad “one of the most dystopian things I’ve ever seen” and slamming the “level of greed and depravity” behind it. Actor Geraldine Viswanathan simply commented, “Oh my god,” in response to the backlash.
The backlash isn’t just about Paltrow
It’s part of a larger conversation about celebrities and their business ties to Israel. Leonardo DiCaprio, for example, has been reported to hold a minority stake in a planned eco-hotel at the Herzliya Marina, which secured final approval in 2025. He’s also an investor in Aleph Farms, an Israeli cultivated-meat company.
Other high-profile figures, including Ashton Kutcher, Jay-Z, Serena Williams, and Tobey Maguire, have also faced scrutiny for their investments in Israeli tech and business ventures. But Paltrow’s ad has drawn particularly sharp criticism because it’s so public and so closely tied to the current moment.
The timing of the ad’s release has only made things worse. Just days before the backlash erupted, Paltrow discussed her political views in an episode of her Goop Podcast. According to The Daily Beast, she described herself as a centrist and said her husband, Brad Falchuk, often said she’s a Republican compared to him, though she clarified that she’s not.
“I don’t feel anything right now, to be totally honest with you,” she said. “I feel like I’m completely an independent.” Those remarks, combined with the timing of the ad, have only fueled the fire online. One user wrote, “You truly have to feel nothing to promote genocide,” while another quipped, “Nothing says ‘wellness’ quite like beachfront denial.”
The controversy also brings up the history of Herzliya, the city where 51 Park is being built
Founded in 1924 by Zionist settlers, Herzliya was established on the land of the Palestinian village of al-Haram. The Middle East Eye reports that Al-Haram was part of Palestine under the Ottoman Empire.
The village’s Palestinian residents were forcibly expelled in 1948 during the Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven from their homes or fled during the creation of Israel. Moreover, Herzliya was named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, adding another layer of historical weight to the debate.
For now, Paltrow has stayed silent on the backlash, neither addressing the criticism publicly nor removing the ad from her social media presence. Representatives for Paltrow and the developer, Aviv by Melisron, haven’t responded to requests for comment. But the conversation isn’t going away anytime soon.
(Featured image: Walt Disney Television)
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