The "Ms. Rachel" storm, one of America's leading children's stars who was previously dubbed the "Beyoncé of toddlers," continues to shake up the internet, this time following a video she published with a Palestinian journalist who has belittled the Oct. 7 atrocities.
This week, Rachel Griffin Accurso, known to her approximately 16 million YouTube followers as "Ms. Rachel," published a video on social media with her "friend," journalist Motaz Azaiza. Azaiza, considered one of the most identifiable voices with Hamas in the digital arena and who defines himself as a "genocide survivor," called publicly after the October 7 attack to support Palestinian "resistance" and even praised then-Hamas military wing leader Yahya Sinwar. In another instance, he refused to condemn the Black Saturday massacre.
The responses were quick to come. "Elmo's account was hacked (referring to antisemitic posts distributed on the hacked X account of the 'Sesame Street' character). What's Ms. Rachel's excuse?" wondered Chen Mazzig, one of the prominent pro-Israel advocacy activists in the US.
Ms. Rachel, who makes content for toddlers, posted a video to her 3.4 million followers with her "friend," Palestinian journalist Motaz.
Azaiza has called on his followers to support the "resistance" and celebrated Yahya Sinwar.
Elmo got hacked. What's Ms. Rachel's excuse? pic.twitter.com/tc6F1sF42N
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 17, 2025
The current affair joins a series of previous controversies surrounding Ms. Rachel's activities since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. This spring, Accurso published content that presented Israel as the aggressor, relying on data from Hamas' health ministry that does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas terrorists.
She even shared photos of injured or hungry children without noting that, in some cases, these were children suffering from complex genetic diseases. About two months ago, she published a post about meeting with a 3-year-old Gazan girl who lost her legs due to the fighting in the Strip, claiming her brothers are "so hungry and have so little food."
Evil propaganda against Israel
Following her previous statements, the StopAntisemitism organization appealed to the American Justice Department in April, demanding to open an investigation into whether Accurso effectively serves as a paid propaganda agent. The organization declared that Accurso "spreads evil propaganda against the State of Israel to more than 20 million followers through multiple accounts, more than the entire population of Jews and Israelis in the world."
She previously justified her activity and said she "works for all children, regardless of religion, nationality or geographic location." In May, she raised more than $50,000 for the Save the Children organization operating in the Gaza Strip, but emphasized that the organization does not operate in Israel because it is a wealthy country.
Accurso, 42 and mother of two, is considered a very beloved figure among the parent community in the US. Her videos, accompanied by songs and simple language, are designed to help toddlers acquire basic speech skills and are considered a key tool for children with developmental delays.
But now, it appears, "Ms. Rachel" is dealing with a broken trough. The internet is boiling, voices of boycott are strengthening, and parents are required to ask themselves whether it's possible to separate the educator from the screen from the activist from Instagram.
