Blockout 2024 (stylized as the hashtag #Blockout2024), variously referred to as Operation Blockout or Celebrity Block Party,[1] is an online movement to block the social media accounts of celebrities and organizations, related to their silence over or support toward Israel in the
war in Gaza. A wave of discontent was sparked on social media platforms on May 6, 2024, following the
Met Gala, an annual fundraising event. This reaction was prompted by the circulation of photographs featuring celebrities in elaborate attire. A number of these celebrities had not publicly addressed the ongoing conflict in
Gaza, where continuous airstrikes by
Israel have led to the loss of over 35,000 lives, predominantly women and children. This lack of public commentary on the issue was highlighted and criticized by social media users.[2]
Prelude
The Blockout movement started through posts on
TikTok after the
Met Gala on May 6, 2024.[3] The exclusive $75,000 per ticket fashion event attended by influential celebrities drew comparisons to the class disparity of The Hunger Games,[4] with USA Today columnist Nicole Russell calling it "a tone-deaf charade of excess and hypocrisy."[5] A post by influencer
Haley Kalil (known as @haleyybaylee on social media) became widely viewed showed her saying "
Let them eat cake" in the style of
Marie Antoinette.[6][1][7][8] After recent
university campus war protests,[9] the ongoing
Rafah offensive, and protesters outside of the
Met Museum,[10][11][12] this contrast[13] became the subject of online posts and activism.[1][14] The release of the song "
Hind's Hall" by
Macklemore on the same day as the
Met Gala was notable, with the lyrics referring to: "The music industry's quiet, complicit in their platform of silence."[15]
Shortly after the event, a TikTok account @BlockOut2024 posted a video encouraging users to block celebrities at the Met Gala and others on social media[16][17] while others have attributed the start of the effort to the account @ladyfromtheoutside.[18][19] This resulted in the hashtags #blockout2024 and #celebrityblocklist starting to trend, alongside
#AllEyesOnRafah.[20][21] Because of the reference to Antoinette, the activism has also been referred to as a "digitine" or digital
guillotine.[22][23][24]
Some of those originally targeted in the block have since posted videos encouraging donations to Gaza support and relief efforts, including
Lizzo and
Chris Olsen.[26]
The campaign has also given rise to country-specific lists, such as ones in
Malaysia.[30]