Alia Bhatt’s name has been added to a ‘Blackout List’, post her appearance at this year’s Met Gala on May 6 and at the Gucci Cruise Show 2025 in London on May 13.
Bhatt has been accused of being “complicit” for being silent on the on-going humanitarian crisis in Gaza and not speaking about the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The ‘blackout list’ is a social media boycott of sorts. Social media users have been pointing out celebrities and calling them out for not taking a stand against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The ‘blackout’ is an attempt to force celebrities into taking a stand.
As part of the ‘blackout’, users personally block certain celebrities accounts across X, TikTok and Instagram, as a result of which they are then unable to see their posts, photos or videos and collaborations with sponsors.
On social media, it’s the number of people who interact with the content posted that brings in the money. Hence, the blocks are meant to affect views, engagement and effectively the pay-checks.
Some users have even posted about the celebrities that they have blocked using tags – #blockout, #blockout2024, or #celebrityblockout. Users participating in the ‘blackout’ say it’s a protest because these celebrities have either not spoken or haven’t said enough against Israel’s actions in Gaza during its war with Hamas.