Austin American-Statesman

Hadid’s departure from Dior predates Israel-Hamas war

- Hannah Hudnall

A Nov. 7 Instagram post shows a picture of model Bella Hadid.

“Dior replaces Palestinia­n Bella Hadid with Israeli model as brand ambassador,” says an article headline within the post.

The post’s caption says, “This comes after Bella Hadid came out in support of Palestine.”

The post garnered more than 70,000 likes in a month. Similar versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and Instagram.

Our rating: False

Hadid’s departure from Dior is unrelated to her public support for Palestinia­ns, as it happened long before the current Israel-Hamas conflict. She became a brand ambassador for a different company back in March.

Hadid’s departure unrelated to Palestinia­n support

Celebritie­s such as Melissa Barrera and Susan Sarandon have been dropped from talent agencies or projects for publicly voicing support for Palestinia­ns. But Hadid, whose father is Palestinia­n and who has called for a cease-fire in Gaza, has not faced such a fate with Dior.

The Associated Press reported that Hadid left Dior when her contract ended in March 2022. There are no reputable reports that her departure was connected to her Palestinia­n support, and in any case it long predated the current conflict.

Her partnershi­p with the makeup company Charlotte Tilbury as its brand ambassador was announced March 1, more than seven months before the Hamas attack on Israel Oct. 7, according to Harper’s Bazaar. The article states that Hadid “previously served as the face of Christian Dior makeup starting in 2016.”

The article shown in the Instagram post claims Dior replaced Hadid with the Israeli model May Tager. Tager’s employment with Dior isn’t new, however. She was featured in one of the company’s holiday ad campaigns back in November 2022.

USA TODAY reached out to Dior, a spokespers­on for Hadid and the users who shared the post for comment but did not immediatel­y receive responses.

Lead Stories and Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the Internatio­nal Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrat­ed commitment to nonpartisa­nship, fairness and transparen­cy. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

 ?? MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE ?? Bella Hadid's departure from Dior happened long before the current Israel-Hamas conflict.
MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE Bella Hadid's departure from Dior happened long before the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

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