Jonah Platt Blames Rachel Zegler for Snow White’s Box Office Failure

Jonah Platt, son of Snow White producer Marc Platt, has attributed the disappointing box office results of Disney’s live-action Snow White remake to its lead actress, Rachel Zegler.

He accused Zegler of “narcissism” for introducing personal political views into the film’s promotional campaign.

Jonah Platt’s Criticism of Rachel Zegler

Jonah Platt, known for hosting the podcast Being Jewish and his roles in Uncoupled and Being the Ricardos, addressed the situation in a since-deleted Instagram comment.

He reacted to reports that his father, Marc Platt, flew to New York to confront Zegler over a social media post supporting Palestine during the film’s promotional cycle.

According to a Variety report, Marc Platt’s visit aimed to persuade Zegler to remove her post, which read, “and always remember, free Palestine.” Jonah Platt criticized Zegler’s decision to mix personal politics with film promotion, stating:

“Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20-year-old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for. This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office.”

Platt continued by defending his father’s actions, emphasizing that free speech has consequences in professional settings:

“Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions. Tens of thousands of people worked on that film and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue-collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.”

Zegler’s Political Posts and Disney’s Response

Reports emerged that Zegler’s social media activity had caused significant issues for Disney. Besides her Palestine post, Zegler later shared statements such as “F*** Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters … never know peace.”

Variety reported that this prompted another meeting between Zegler and Marc Platt, which resulted in Disney hiring a social media professional to manage Zegler’s posts ahead of the film’s release.

Zegler’s support for Palestine and criticism of Trump supporters drew intense backlash. Her co-star Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, reportedly received increased death threats following Zegler’s Palestine post, forcing Disney to provide additional security for Gadot and her family.

An insider told Variety that Zegler had underestimated the fallout of her actions:

“She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone.”

Mixed Public Reaction and Production Controversies

The Snow White remake, directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer), faced numerous controversies during production, aside from Zegler’s social media activity.

The film’s casting of Zegler, who is Latina, sparked criticism from some traditionalists who argued that Snow White should have “skin as white as snow.” Zegler’s comments about the story’s outdated themes also fueled backlash.

“It’s no longer 1937,” Zegler stated. “She’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”

The depiction of the seven dwarfs also stirred controversy. In 2022, Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage criticized Disney for attempting to modernize the story while maintaining outdated stereotypes:

“You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together?”

Disney responded by stating that they were consulting with the dwarfism community to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes.

Poor Box Office Performance and Critical Response

The Snow White remake opened to weak box office numbers, earning just $43 million during its opening weekend despite a production budget of approximately $270 million.

Critics were largely unimpressed with the film. Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent gave the movie a one-star review, stating:

“Zegler deserves better than the lazy, visually repellent Snow White.”

Despite the backlash, Zegler reportedly agreed to work with a Disney-appointed social media professional to manage her posts and avoid further controversies.