Netflix series Nobody Wants This returned for its third season in October after creator Erin Foster and co-star Tovah Feldshuh publicly addressed Adam Brody’s September interview comments supporting a free Palestine
and accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Adam Brody Defends Gaza Stance and Activism
Adam Brody addressed his political views during a September interview with GQ. He plays Rabbi Noah Roklov in the hit Netflix romantic comedy series Nobody Wants This. Brody discussed his background in volunteerism and activism alongside Swing Left, which is a political group focused on voter education in competitive areas. When asked whether he wanted to speak about it during the interview, Brody voiced his support for a free Palestine,
while also referring to the conflict in Gaza as genocide. Brody — whose previous Jewish television roles feature Seth Morris in Fleishman Is in Trouble alongside Seth Cohen from The O.C. — has previously stated that he barely got bar mitzvahed and retained nothing from it.
(Jews are both a religious as well as an ethnic group.) In Nobody Wants This, Brody’s Noah falls in love with the non-Jewish Joanne (Kristen Bell), and the pair subsequently deal with various hurdles in their romance, including religious ones, which culminates in a major development for the duo as season three concludes.
Put me down as thinking it’s a genocide. Put me down as wanting a free Palestine. It’s awful that it’s taken so much death and misery, but it does feel like it’s reaching a breaking point that it should have a while ago. I’m hopeful that another administration can really do some good and correct some of these policies that are helping that situation be as awful as it is.
He noted the first time President Trump was elected, it was inconceivable and woke everyone, and called it awful to watch him defile the government, country, and reputation while pitting people against each other.
Erin Foster Addresses Set Dynamics and Jewish Representation
Series creator Erin Foster responded to the controversy during an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast. Foster described the situation as complicated
while emphasizing that professional sets mirror dinner tables where people hold opposing viewpoints.
While I love Adam, I also disagree with him, and that’s OK.
Foster converted to Judaism before marrying her husband Simon Tikhman in 2019. She stressed that the Netflix series was designed as a love letter to Judaism. She emphasized the importance of positive Jewish representation at a time when she believes such portrayals are scarce. The 2019 marriage of Foster to her husband, Simon Tikhman, followed her personal journey of converting to Judaism, which serves as the foundation for Nobody Wants This. Foster told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Monday, September 30, that she thinks positive Jewish stories are needed right now. Foster’s response shows that Jewish identity is bigger than Hollywood politics, and she is not afraid to stand behind the Jewish story she created.
Tovah Feldshuh Condemns Brody Remarks
Tovah Feldshuh, 77, portrays Brody’s on-screen mother Bina Roklov. She strongly condemned the actor’s choice of words in an interview with the New York Post. Feldshuh argued that accusations of genocide against Jewish people invert the roles of victim and perpetrator, describing the discourse as having a horseshoe effect,
where socialism and antisemitism are trying to meet.
To accuse the Jewish people of genocide is wild. It’s right out of Hitler’s playbook. You take the victim and you make the victim the perpetrator.
The New York Post
Feldshuh added that such statements carry heavier impact within the Jewish community when voiced by Jewish people themselves. Despite her strong stance on the political climate and her support for Israel, Feldshuh maintained that her professional focus on set remains kindness. She stated that her job, as Bina but also as Tovah, is to love the people on set at her place of work and to be kind. Feldshuh also described the perseverance of the existence of the state of Israel as vital to the well-being of the democratic world and of the free world, adding that Israel needs the United States and the United States needs Israel. She further noted that there were rarely political disagreements on set.
Rabbi Steve Leder formerly served as the senior rabbi at Los Angeles’s Wilshire Boulevard Temple—the very synagogue where Foster underwent her conversion to Judaism—and acted as a season one technical adviser. He likewise denounced Brody’s statements. In an Instagram video posted on Sept. 29, Leder called the remarks shocking and criticized the actor’s use of terminology regarding the conflict in Gaza.
| Contributor | Role on Series | Public Response / Stance |
|---|---|---|
| Erin Foster | Creator | Disagrees with Brody, maintains set decorum, calls the show a love letter to Judaism |
| Tovah Feldshuh | Actor (Bina Roklov) | Condemned genocide accusations as echoing historical antisemitism while vowing on-set kindness |
| Steve Leder | Season 1 Rabbi Consultant | Criticized Brody’s remarks as shocking and uninformed |
Cast Returns for Season Three
The show just returned for its third season, following the love story between agnostic Joanne and rabbi Noah, while working through the obstacles of their relationship.
Production on the series has continued with both Foster and Brody returning for the latest installment. Will Brody’s representatives issue further public statements addressing the backlash from his collaborators and advisers?
Tovah Feldshuh says Adam Brody’s genocide remarks echo “Hitler’s playbook.”The “Nobody Wants This” co-star said the accusation turns “the victim” into “the perpetrator,” while creator Erin Foster said she loves Brody but disagrees with him.Read more: https://t.co/MZWanAexlJ pic.twitter.com/ywwWY15SEo
More on Adam Brody
Netflix'in Nobody Wants This dizisinde Filistin tartışması çıktıAdam Brody'nin İsrail'i Gazze'de soykırım yapmakla suçlamasına rol arkadaşı Tovah Feldshuh, Hitler benzetmesiyle karşılık verdiDizinin yaratıcısı Erin Foster da Brody'ye katılmadığını açıkladı… pic.twitter.com/1eT8aNirch
"Nobody Wants This" star Tovah Feldshuh is strongly pushing back against co-star Adam Brody’s recent anti-Israel comments, calling accusations of genocide against the Jewish people "straight out of Hitler’s playbook."Speaking to the New York Post, the 77-year-old…