Tara Strong Claims She Was Fired From ‘Boxtown’ For Being Jewish, Studio Clarifies Decision Made Over Her Comments Regarding Israel-Hamas Conflict

Nerdigans Inc. |

Oct 20, 2023

This Actor’s Cartoon Game Is Strong via Great Big Story, YouTube / Bill Unleashes His Rage | Boxtown via bandit mill animation, YouTube

Tara Strong has been fired from her role as Bill the Orphan in the Bandit Mill Animation-produced animated series Boxtown, following a series of tweets in which the voice actress weighed in on the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

First clip of Bill the Orphan in “Boxtown”! via bandit mill animation, YouTube

Further, Strong claimed to have not been informed about the decision and went on to accuse the studio of anti-Semitism, proposing that she was fired for being Jewish. The voice actress’ reaction was prompted by a post shared by the official Boxtown account on X, which revealed that the character she was playing on the show was being recast.

“Hello all! Just wanted to offer a quick update on Boxtown,” prefaced the statement. “We will be recasting the role of Bill (previously played by Tara Strong). We’ll have more info soon on open auditions. Thanks for y’all’s understanding as we re-orient and figure out the next steps.”

@BoxtownOfficial provides recast update via X

“Just found out on twitter!” Strong claimed in response to Boxtown’s initial post, decrying, “This is what happens when you help fans get shows made I guess,” further alleging, “Fired for being Jewish. Glad I helped you get your kickstarter money.”

As she concluded, Strong encouraged her former colleagues to “Please lose my email address & pray for my family in Israel and in Gaza.”

Tara Strong weighs in on the news of her recasting via X

A few days after the initial announcement, Bandit Mill Animation took to social media to release an official statement addressing the recasting of Strong, confirming that it was the voice actress’ posts regarding the Hamas-Israel armed conflict what prompted the decision to part ways with her.

“As some of you may have heard, Tara Strong is no longer involved with Boxtown or Bandit Mill Animation and will no longer be voicing the character of ‘Bill the Orphan,'” the statement declared. “This decision was due to a trend among Tara’s recent online activity, including posts that promote controversial messages regarding the peoples of Palestine currently being affected by the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis.”

@BoxtownOfficial shares official statement regarding Tara Strong via X

It continued, “We believe that our public platform gives us a duty to be careful when it comes to hateful messages and misinformation online. This extends to our cast and crew.”

Next, they declared, “This was not a difficult decision.” Bandit Mill Animation then let their followers know that more information about the recasting would be shared at a later time.

“Our hearts are with the Palestinian and Israeli children and families being affected by the ongoing conflict,” the studio declared, adding, “People should be able to live freely without being threatened by constant abuse and terror,” before concluding, “We are hoping for the best.”

This Actor’s Cartoon Game Is Strong via Great Big Story, YouTube

As pointed out by the studio, Strong had been vocally expressing her disdain for the armed conflict that has been unfolding since Hamas conducted a surprise attack in southern Israel last week, and condemning the actions of the terror group on social media.

“If you are PRO suffering, rape, murder of ANY innocent people, today I will block you,” the voice actress warned, alluding to some of the acts committed by Hamas during the initial invasion of Israel.

“We should all be praying for peace. To end ALL wars, near and far. To end the suffering of ALL innocent civilians everywhere regardless of political affiliation.”