In a furious pushback against what she called a “malicious and false narrative,” pop superstar Dua Lipa has vehemently denied a report that she fired her longtime agent over his pro-Israel views, accusing her critics of exploiting a global tragedy for clickbait. The incident, born of a tabloid rumor, has exposed the raw, polarizing tensions of the Israel-Palestine conflict within the entertainment industry.
The controversy erupted earlier this week when a report from the Daily Mail claimed that Lipa had dismissed her agent, David Levy, after learning he had allegedly signed a private letter urging organizers of the Glastonbury music festival to drop the Irish rap trio Kneecap from its lineup. The reason for the purported letter was Kneecap’s vocal and defiant pro-Palestinian stance. The story quickly went viral, amplified by social media and other outlets, painting a picture of an artist taking a drastic professional step over a political disagreement.
But on Tuesday, Lipa set the record straight on her Instagram story, dismantling the rumor piece by piece. She confirmed that while she “does not condone the actions of David Levy or other music executives toward an artist speaking their truth,” the firing story was “completely false.” The singer clarified that her professional relationship with Levy had been in flux for years and that he had not been involved in her day-to-day business since 2019.
Her talent agency, William Morris Endeavour (WME), corroborated her statement, calling the tabloid narrative “categorically false.” A WME spokesperson clarified that Levy had officially “removed himself from the project among others earlier this year,” a long-planned professional move unrelated to the Kneecap controversy or the current geopolitical climate.
Dua Lipa, who is of Albanian descent, has been one of the few global pop stars of her stature to speak openly and consistently about the conflict. She has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, signed open letters demanding an end to UK arms sales to Israel, and posted to her millions of followers, “Burning children alive can never be justified.” The incident highlights how the Israel-Palestine conflict has become a political minefield for public figures, where even routine business decisions can be twisted into a charged political statement, forcing celebrities to not only pick a side but also to defend themselves from fabricated narratives.