YouTube star Ms. Rachel emotionally apologizes for liking antisemitic comment, says it was an accident
YouTube star "Ms. Rachel" posted an emotional apology video on Wednesday after accidentally liking an antisemitic comment on Instagram.
Rachel Griffin Accurso, who rose to fame creating educational videos for children, has more than 18.6 million subscribers on YouTube, along with nearly 9 million TikTok followers and close to 5 million on Instagram.
The controversy began after Accurso appeared to like an antisemitic comment under one of her Instagram posts that read, "Free America from the Jews." A user later noticed the interaction and contacted her via direct message.
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"I would never agree with an antisemitic thing like the comment," Accurso said during an apology video posted on her TikTok Wednesday.
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She explained that the comment was liked "accidentally" and noted she’s a human who "makes mistakes." Accurso said she was attempting to delete the comment from under her post when she liked it instead.
"I'm so sorry for the confusion it caused. I'm so sorry if anyone thought that I would ever agree with something horrible and antisemitic like that," Accurso said, crying.
She added at one point, "I hate antisemitism" and that it's human to make mistakes.
The New York Post reported that the comment appeared under a post of a statement from Accurso’s notes app that read, "Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, Free Iran."
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While many commenters offered support, others questioned why such comments appeared on her page at all. The incident comes as Accurso’s political posts have drawn increased scrutiny online.
Ms. Rachel has been outspoken about her support for Gaza children and has stood against the Israel-Hamas war. At Glamour’s 2025 Women of the Year Awards, she wore a dress featuring drawings by children in Gaza.
In December, she was named to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural committee. On Sunday, Mamdani appeared alongside Accurso in a video discussing his proposals for universal childcare and free buses.
The social media star's musical YouTube videos focused on language development for young children have racked up billions of views and made her an international celebrity.
Ms. Rachel was interviewed last year by far-left, anti-Israel journalist Mehdi Hasan, where she discussed her advocacy for Gazan children. She said that her outspokenness for them didn't mean she didn't care for Israeli or other children as well.
"It’s sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering. I think it should be controversial to not say anything," Accurso said at the time. "The idea that caring for a group of children in an emergency situation means you don’t care about other children is false."