A few days ago, I posted how Hollywood actor Guy Pearce issued a lame apology for having shared “misinformation and falsehoods” online. He also promised to “endeavour to be more diligent in future to verify anything” he shared online.
As I pointed out, the apology was inadequate.
Like John Cleese before him, Pearce thinks apologizing to the Jewish News without posting any apologies or retractions on social media is sufficient.
He’s wrong.
But unlike John Cleese, he has not promised to desist from posting more about Israel and the Jews. What’s more, he is only apologizing for posting things that “have contained misinformation and falsehoods.”
Since then, Pearce has taken my suggestion and apologized online – but again just for “misleading and inaccurate” posts and not for the antisemtic content.
And he is now stepping offline entirely – at least for the time being:
Stepping away from social media isn’t accountability – it’s avoidance. Going silent is not the same as showing remorse.
If Guy Pearce genuinely wanted to repair the damage, he would face the issue head-on: learn what antisemitism actually is, acknowledge how he contributed to it, speak to Jewish communities, denounce antisemitism, and own the harm caused. Pearce has done none of that.
Instead, he’s treating this like a bad review he hopes will fade if he hides long enough. Spoiler: it won’t.
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