Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has left his talent agency CAA after his high-ranking movie agent Maha Dakhil accused Israel of genocide in its military response to Hamas’ mass slaughter of Jewish people.
Aaron Sorkin — who wrote The Social Network and created NBC’s The West Wing — is returning to his previous agency, WME, after six years with CAA.
“Maha isn’t an antisemite, she’s just wrong,” Sorkin said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news. “She’s a great agent and I’m very proud of the work we did together over the last six years. I’m excited to be returning to WME.”
As Breitbart News reported, Dakhil reposted an Instagram story this week that said, “You’re currently learning who supports genocide.” The post came from the Instagram account “Free Palestine.”
She later apologized and resigned some of her positions at CAA, though she still remains employed by the agency.
“I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language,” she said in a statement obtained by multiple outlets.
“Like so many of us, I have been reeling with heartbreak. I pride myself on being on the side of humanity and peace. I’m so grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the implications and further educated me. I immediately took the repost down. I’m sorry for the pain I have caused.”
Dakhil is a major movie talent agent whose clients include Tom Cruise, Natalie Portman, and Steven Spielberg.
J.J. Abrams, Maha Dakhil, and Katie McGrath attend the The CAA Pre-Oscar Party at Sunset Tower Hotel on March 10, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for CAA)
The controversy is one of several setbacks this month for CAA.
Actress Julia Ormond has sued the agency — along with Disney — alleging that CAA executives retaliated against her after she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein.
The actress has claimed Harvey Weinstein forced himself upon her after a 1995 business dinner by luring her into giving him a massage, climbing on top of her, masturbating, and forcing her to give him oral sex.
Ormond alleges top CAA leaders pressured her to stay silent and then sidelined her career, effectively cutting short her Hollywood ascendancy that began with Legends of the Fall in 1994.
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