Hannah Einbinder Wins First Emmy, Calls To 'Free Palestine' In Viral Speech
Hacks star Hannah Einbinder won her first Emmy and used her acceptance speech to call for Palestinian freedom. Read her full comments and what followed backstage.
Hannah Einbinder, co-lead of HBO Max’s acclaimed comedy 'Hacks', finally clinched her first Emmy win after three prior nominations—but it was her closing statement, not just her win, that turned heads at the 2025 Emmy Awards. The actor’s acceptance speech took an unflinching political turn, including a censored expletive and a call for Palestinian liberation.
The actress earned the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series trophy at Sunday night’s ceremony, which was broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
"Go Birds, F*** ICE, and Free Palestine": Einbinder’s Viral Moment
In what became the first overtly political moment of the night, Einbinder signed off her speech by declaring:
“Go Birds, fuck ICE and free Palestine.”
While the profanity was muted during the live telecast, the rest of the message rang out clearly.
Later in the press room, Einbinder expanded on her remarks.
“I thought it was important to talk about Palestine because it’s an issue that’s very dear to my heart,” she said. “I have friends in Gaza who are working as frontline workers, as doctors right now in the north of Gaza to provide care for pregnant women and for school children… For many reasons, I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel.”
She added: “Boycotting is an effective tool to create pressure on the powers that be to meet the moment. So the Film Workers for Palestine boycott does not boycott individuals, it only boycotts institutions that are directly complicit in the genocide.”
Einbinder Thanks Her Hacks Team and Jean Smart
Despite her political message, Einbinder’s speech began with gratitude and humor.
“I was just really committed to the personal narrative that I had that it was actually cooler to continue to lose,” she joked. “But this is cool too! This is also punk rock.”
She praised Hacks creators Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, and Lucia Aniello “for changing my life in every conceivable way,” and described her co-star Jean Smart as “like a sun, and I just get to stand in her warmth.”
As the speech went slightly over the 45-second limit, a countdown appeared on screen linked to host Nate Bargatze’s $100,000 charity donation, which decreases by $1,000 for every second over. Einbinder quickly noted:
“Oh, I’ll pay the difference, sorry.”
A Long Time Coming for Einbinder
This marks Einbinder’s first Emmy win after three previous nominations for her role as Ava Daniels, a chaotic comedy writer paired with Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance. She beat out last year’s winner Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear) and other contenders including Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Jessica Williams.
Earlier this year, Einbinder won a Critics Choice Award and has been nominated three times at the Golden Globes. She previously landed on Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2021 and released her first stand-up special, Everything Must Go, on HBO Max last year.
Next up, she stars alongside Gillian Anderson in the upcoming indie film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, directed by Jane Schoenbrun and produced by Plan B and Mubi.
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