Aaron Sorkin
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Aaron Sorkin left CAA and returned to WME after his co-head of film, Maha Dakhil, made critical comments about Israel.
“Maha is not an anti-Semite, she is simply wrong. She is a great agent and I am very proud of the work we have done together over the last six years. “I’m excited to return to WME,” the prolific writer told . The writer behind The Social Network and The West Wing was represented by WME until he moved to rival CAA in 2017.
Dakhil, whose A-list clients include Tom Cruise, Natalie Portman and Reese Witherspoon, came under scrutiny for an Instagram repost that called out “genocide” by Israel amid a war in Gaza. This post was later deleted and Dakhil apologized for the comments.
Since the re-publication received a great response in the industry, the agent temporarily stepped down from her leadership role in the department on October 22nd. In addition, she is stepping down from CAA’s internal agency board.
“I made a mistake with a repost on my Instagram story that used hurtful language,” Dakhil said in an Oct. 19 statement. “Like so many of us, I suffered heartbreak. I am proud to stand on the side of humanity and peace. I am very grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the effects and educated me. I deleted the repost immediately. I’m sorry for the pain I caused.”
The exit of a top client of the Century City-based agency reflects the polarized social media environment in the weeks since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the country’s ongoing response in Gaza. Even before the war began, the rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Los Angeles – the Anti-Defamation League released a report in March saying 2022 would be a “record year” for incidents of harassment and vandalism in the city – had sparked a broader conversation .
CAA was among many Hollywood companies to issue statements condemning Hamas, declaring on October 10 that it “stands with the people of Israel, the Jewish community and all innocent victims in the face of terrorism.” Studios including Disney, Paramount and Comcast also pledged donations to humanitarian causes in the days after the initial attack.
The agency’s CEO, Bryan Lourd, and co-chairs Richard Lovett and Kevin Huvane also signed an Oct. 12 open letter from the nonprofit organization Creative Community for Peace that said: “While Israel is taking the necessary steps to protect its citizens “For days and weeks, social media has been flooded by an orchestrated misinformation campaign led by Iran. We urge everyone to remember the terrible images that came out of Israel and not to amplify their propaganda or fall for it.”