After recent tweets regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, animated series Boxtown has confirmed the removal of voice actor Tara Strong from the show’s cast.
The show has not explicitly confirmed that Strong’s tweets were the cause of her removal from the series, but they did make a statement about her departure via X (formerly known as Twitter) on October 16: “As some of you may have heard, Tara Strong is no longer involved with Boxtown or Bandit Mill Animation and will no longer be voicing the character of Bill the Orphan.
This decision was due to a trend among Tara's recent online activity, including posts that promote controversial messages regarding the peoples of Palestine currently being affected by the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis. "We believe that our public platform gives us a duty to be careful when it comes to hateful messages and misinformation online. This extends to our cast and crew. This was not a difficult decision.”
They added in a second tweet, “Our hearts are with the Palestinian and Israeli children and families being affected by the ongoing conflict. People should be able to live freely without being threatened by constant abuse and terror. We are hoping for the best.”
— “Boxtown” the animated series (@BoxtownOfficial) October 16, 2023
Strong reportedly liked a tweet that equated all Muslims to Hamas and ISIS. The tweet allegedly also read, "Islam is a real, clear and present danger." Strong has reportedly since unliked the tweet.
On October 12, the Boxtown X account shared a post revealing their decision to remove Strong from the crowdfunded, independent project. "We will be recasting the role of Bill (previously played by Tara Strong)," their team shared. "The Boxtown team is a diverse team of all stripes. Ms. Strong was fully paid for her work. It's very disappointing that some people continue to spread misinformation and hatred. We do not stand for hatred in any of its forms."
The next day, Strong replied to their post and made it known she was unaware of the decision. "Just found out on twitter! This is what happens when you help fans get shows made I guess," the actor wrote on October 13. "Fired for being Jewish. Glad I helped you get your kickstarter money. Please lose my email address & pray for my family in Israel and in Gaza."
In response to a tweet made by Indie Animation Network about Strong’s removal, Boxtown writer Spencer Rothbell spoke out about the situation, namely Strong’s reaction to the firing. "The other main character is voiced by a Jewish person (Alex Hirsch), the co-writer of the pilot (me) is a Jew too…try again!" Rothbell wrote in a series of two posts. "I had nothing to do with her apparently being recast but this is an absurd claim to make."
Strong has also allegedly retweeted and liked posts that are critical of those joining pro-Palestine marches globally, including one tweet that makes the claim that people in an attached video are in support of "terrorism, beheadings, kidnappings, rape, and the execution of hostages," with the implication that those are the people who support Palestine. She also reportedly shared a screenshot from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) that claimed that Hamas would take over the world. MEMRI has previously been accused of mistranslating Arab media hosts and guests in a way that makes them look bad, and thus, the quote can be seen as perpetuating discrimination and spreading misinformation.
More information about the recasting efforts for Boxtown will “come within the coming weeks,” according to the series’ X account.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
