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Advocates of Israel Boycott Dismayed by Colbert’s Comedic Hummus Ad Advocates of Israel Boycott Dismayed by Colbert’s Comedic Hummus Ad
(about 17 hours later)
A comedic product placement for Sabra hummus near the start of Stephen Colbert’s first episode as host of “The Late Show” on Tuesday night earned him praise from marketing experts, but catcalls from supporters of a movement to boycott Israeli-owned companies.A comedic product placement for Sabra hummus near the start of Stephen Colbert’s first episode as host of “The Late Show” on Tuesday night earned him praise from marketing experts, but catcalls from supporters of a movement to boycott Israeli-owned companies.
In a segment that simultaneously mocked paid endorsements and was one, Mr. Colbert explained to viewers that he had made a deal with a demonic amulet, which gave him the chance to host the show but required “certain regrettable compromises,” like endorsing Sabra-brand hummus.In a segment that simultaneously mocked paid endorsements and was one, Mr. Colbert explained to viewers that he had made a deal with a demonic amulet, which gave him the chance to host the show but required “certain regrettable compromises,” like endorsing Sabra-brand hummus.
While most of Mr. Colbert’s viewers were quite likely unaware of any political implications of the tongue-in-cheek endorsement, fans who support a Palestinian-led campaign to pressure Israel through boycotts, divestment and sanctions, or B.D.S., were dismayed by the gag. The hummus, which is produced in the United States, has been subject to calls for a boycott because it is made in a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that has provided financial support to the Israel Defense Forces’ elite Golani Brigade.While most of Mr. Colbert’s viewers were quite likely unaware of any political implications of the tongue-in-cheek endorsement, fans who support a Palestinian-led campaign to pressure Israel through boycotts, divestment and sanctions, or B.D.S., were dismayed by the gag. The hummus, which is produced in the United States, has been subject to calls for a boycott because it is made in a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that has provided financial support to the Israel Defense Forces’ elite Golani Brigade.
While the brand responded to the plug by playing along on Twitter, advocates of the boycott campaign expressed their disappointment on the social network during the broadcast. The brand responded to the plug by playing along on Twitter, but advocates of the boycott campaign expressed their disappointment on the social network during the broadcast.
For some of Mr. Colbert’s fans on the left, his uncritical joking about Sabra-brand hummus was evidence of his shift from an edgy, politically engaged comedian, who once mocked President George W. Bush to his face, into a figure of the mainstream entertainment industry. That transformation was perhaps underscored by the fact that his first show featured a friendly interview with Jeb Bush, the former president’s brother. According to statistics from Amobee Brand Intelligence shared by Matthew Belloni, executive editor of The Hollywood Reporter, the brand was not mentioned favorably in most of the initial responses on Twitter.
Some supporters of the B.D.S. movement, including Maysoon Zayid and Nawal Atallah, Palestinian-American commentators, and Omar Baddar, a former director of the Palestine Cultural Center for Peace in Boston, chose to focus on the contextual frame of the endorsement: that the sketch presented Mr. Colbert’s plug as part of a pact with evil forces. For some of Mr. Colbert’s fans on the left, his uncritical joking about Sabra-brand hummus seemed like evidence of his shift from an edgy, politically engaged comedian — who once mocked President George W. Bush to his face — into a figure of the mainstream entertainment industry. That transformation was perhaps underscored by the fact that his first show featured a friendly interview with Jeb Bush, the former president’s brother. Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker’s television critic, described the interview as “aggressively collegial, a kick in the shins to anyone who worried that Colbert would be some liberal muckraker.”
Given that Mr. Colbert seemed so eager to broaden his appeal for a network audience, after years of playing a satirical version of a conservative pundit for basic cable viewers who skewed left, any fans who expected him to champion a boycott of Israel — which enjoys nearly unanimous support from Republicans — were always likely to be disappointed.
Some supporters of the B.D.S. movement, including Maysoon Zayid, a Palestinian-American commentator, and Omar Baddar, a former director of the Palestine Cultural Center for Peace in Boston, chose to focus on the contextual frame of the endorsement: that the sketch presented Mr. Colbert’s plug as part of a pact with evil forces.
Ms. Zayid pointed out that the celebrity guest for Mr. Colbert’s second show on Wednesday night is Scarlett Johansson.Ms. Zayid pointed out that the celebrity guest for Mr. Colbert’s second show on Wednesday night is Scarlett Johansson.
Ms. Johansson inadvertently drew attention to the B.D.S. campaign last year, when she starred in a commercial for SodaStream, an Israeli product manufactured until this year in a factory in the occupied West Bank.Ms. Johansson inadvertently drew attention to the B.D.S. campaign last year, when she starred in a commercial for SodaStream, an Israeli product manufactured until this year in a factory in the occupied West Bank.
Although calls to boycott Sabra have been heard on college campuses for several years, and the product’s name is a term for Jews born in Israel, there was no sign in the segment that Mr. Colbert was aware of the debate.Although calls to boycott Sabra have been heard on college campuses for several years, and the product’s name is a term for Jews born in Israel, there was no sign in the segment that Mr. Colbert was aware of the debate.
In a sketch on his previous show, “The Colbert Report,” the comedian seemed to refer to Sabra as a generic product of the Middle East, introducing a joke about “the imploding Muslim country of the week” being “brought to you by Sabra hummus. Serve Sabra at your next party and your guests will be chanting, ‘Death to hunger.’ ”In a sketch on his previous show, “The Colbert Report,” the comedian seemed to refer to Sabra as a generic product of the Middle East, introducing a joke about “the imploding Muslim country of the week” being “brought to you by Sabra hummus. Serve Sabra at your next party and your guests will be chanting, ‘Death to hunger.’ ”
Although the in-show ad for Sabra attracted little notice at first from supporters of Israel, as the news spread that advocates of B.D.S. were upset with Mr. Colbert, and was picked up by the Israeli press, opponents of the boycott movement rejoiced online.