There was quite a bit of drama at the 97th Academy Awards. At one point in the night, host Conan O’Brien made the decision to bring the ongoing beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake to the mainstage, joking: “Well, we’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a paedophile.” But there was another alleged feud that netizens seemed far more interested in, a supposed clash between Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, stars of the upcoming reimagined Snow White.
Gadot and Zegler were paired to present an award together at the 2025 Oscars, and according to keen-eyed netizens, the duo looked particularly frosty while standing onstage together. People pointed out that the two didn’t look at each other at all during their time on camera and kept a generous distance at all times.
rachel zegler and gal gadot pic.twitter.com/pEBAwMfMtW
— ໊ (@getawaycar_tv) March 3, 2025
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Rachel zegler RUNNING away from Gal Gadot fast as she can !!!! She ain’t takin one bite from the IDF apple</p>— REESE HAVOC ✨ (@reesehavocnyc) <a href=”https://twitter.com/reesehavocnyc/status/1896387605836800116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Rachel Zegler looked like she did not wanna be there with Gal Gadot and I don't blame her
— Nathan Snyder (@ANateForFate) March 3, 2025
Users have speculated that the discomfort between the two actors likely stems from their differing political beliefs. Gadot, an Israeli national, has been very vocal about her support for Israel during the ongoing war—indeed her inclusion in the Snow White film was boycotted by fans due to this.
Zegler on the other hand, has expressed her support for Palestine, posting on X in 2024 that she has been “public with a pro-Palestine stance since 2021.”
i have been public with a pro-palestine stance since 2021. have a nice day.
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) May 11, 2024
As a result, many netizens came to the conclusion that the two were likely beefing over this very serious difference in opinion.
Gadot was also trending on X and TikTok because the award for Best Documentary Feature Film went to No Other Land, a piece of art created by Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers about Palestinians fighting to protect their homes from demolition by Israel’s military.
NO OTHER LAND, A PALESTINIAN FILM, JUST WON AN OSCAR WITH GAL GADOT SITTING IN THE CROWD
— ♱ (@cinemetary) March 3, 2025
@stagediary “No Other Land” won an oscar i just wish i saw Gal Gadot’s face while it happened 🙃👀 #🍉 #oscars #nootherland #fyp
♬ original sound - MUNA | Stage Diary 🎶📸🦋
Basel Adra, the activist the documentary centres on, called on the world to “take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” during his acceptance speech at the awards.
Snow White is due to hit cinemas on 21 March 2025.