Posted on April 1, 2025

A Canadian politician is trying to bar me from the country where I’m scheduled to perform a few gigs. 

I’m offering her front-row seats.

MICHAEL RAPAPORT SPEAKS AT RALLY OUTSIDE ‘THE HOSTAGES AND MISSING SQUARE’ ON DECEMBER 16, 2023, IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL. (ALEXI J. ROSENFELD VIA GETTY IMAGES)

I’ve seen a lot of hate in the past 511 days. Two months after Hamas’s massacre, anti-Israel groups launched a social media campaign to discourage people from attending my show in Sacramento. In January last year, my show in Portland, Oregon, was protested, too. Six months after that, a Chicago venue canceled my act over “safety concerns.” And the day after hooligans chased Jewish soccer fans through the streets of Amsterdam in November 2024, hundreds turned up to demonstrate against my gig in Lakeview, Illinois—a Chicago suburb heavily populated with Jews.

I’m not alone. Many of my fellow Jewish performers are facing this kind of abuse right now simply because we support the existence of a Jewish state.

But on Friday morning, I woke up to the craziest campaign against me yet.

When I checked my social media feed, I saw that Heather McPherson, who is in the Canadian Parliament and a member of the New Democratic Party, was not just attacking me, but calling on her government to deny my entry into the country.

“New Democrats are alarmed that American personality Michael Rapaport is scheduled to perform in Canada,” she posted.

“Rapaport, who has a significant criminal history, also has a long history of racist and Islamophobic speech, and of inciting violence and supporting terrorism. We are witnessing an alarming increase in Islamophobia in Canada and globally. All Canadians deserve to feel safe in our communities.”

At the end, she once again urged Justin Trudeau’s party to take action against me, saying: “New Democrats are calling on the Liberal government to deny entry to Michael Rapaport.”

Now, I’ve got no beef with Ms. McPherson. I’ve never met her or even heard of her, which is something I have in common with most people. But I guess what ticked her off is that I’m headed to Canada this week to perform five stand-up shows in Edmonton, Alberta’s capital city, which McPherson represents.

First, let’s make a few things clear. I have no criminal history other than calling my ex-girlfriend Lili Taylor too many times back in 1997. (I’m not ashamed; I was in love). I have no outstanding warrants. I don’t have any parking tickets. As far as racist Islamophobia, my only phobia currently is of radical jihadists. I’ll admit: I have a phobia of anybody who wants to kill, hurt, or dehumanize Jews.

The irony is that McPherson, in her post, asserted that “hate has no place in Canada”—except, of course, when hate is directed toward Jews, which Canada apparently has no problem with.

Luckily, at least for now, it seems Trudeau and his party aren’t listening. I’ll still be crossing the border this week.

But the real issue is this: Fifty-nine hostages, both dead and alive, are still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Rather than call attention to that—or the horrific antisemitism sweeping her own country—this member of Parliament is spending her capital making pleas to keep me out, rather than fixing whatever is going wrong in her own backyard. (Hey Heather, you might want to get to the bottom of why the great people of Edmonton are sawing down the statues of women’s rights pioneers!)

This isn’t the first time people have found me objectionable. Many take offense at my habit of saying the word fuck every three seconds. And I’ve always spoken my mind. Over the last decade, I have rallied in support of every cause you could think of: Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, equal pay for women in Hollywood, the trendy things, the not-trendy things—everything under the sun. I’m a promiscuous rally-goer. But I’ve never faced any pushback or threats of cancellation until I started defending Israel.

I don’t look for trouble. I do, however, refuse to give in to bullies.

That’s why, since October 7, I’ve called out people in Hollywood who have remained silent on this issue, who haven’t had the moral backbone to denounce the moral depravity of those who stand on the side of a terrorist regime.

It’s why at the one-year anniversary of the invasion, I went to Israel to do two shows. I was very close to canceling them out of fear the moment was too heavy for laughter. But every single person I met there insisted I go ahead. And those shows were an honor to perform.

Although my show isn’t entirely about being Jewish or October 7, the best parts of my show, in my opinion, are. That’s because comedy comes from real-life situations. And great comedy comes from pain and heartbreak.

Even so, I’ve often wondered: How could I stand up on stage and make people laugh in a moment as heavy as this one?

Heather McPherson is how.

Since that horrible day in Israel, I have never been prouder to be Jewish, and I am only more motivated by cowards like her.

Lately, I’ve started wearing tefillin. It’s a religious practice where you wrap a set of small black leather boxes that contain Torah verses to your body, which is meant to remind you of the ever-present existence of God.

I plan to wrap tefillin during my time in Canada, and I’ll be praying there, too. My brother is a Canadian citizen and a professor at the University of Halifax, so I’m aware of the rising antisemitism and anti-Zionism going on in the country. There has been a 670 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in Canada in the past year. It’s disgusting and it’s unacceptable, and even worse, the country is turning a blind eye to it. And I’m praying that someone in the land of nice will finally grow a pair and put an end to it.

If you’re reading this, Heather, I have front row seats reserved for you and the New Democrats. That’s a genuine offer.

From The Free Press: https://www.thefp.com/p/michael-rapaport-comedian-canada-ban-antisemitism