Short answer: Yes. Ellen DeGeneres has publicly expressed support for Israel, most clearly in an Instagram post shortly after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack declaring that her heart was with the people of Israel. She is not Jewish, and no reputable reporting documents a personal Jewish-identity connection. She has made no further public Israel-related statements since 2023 that turned up in reputable coverage. As of August 2026.
What Ellen Degeneres has actually said and done
- May 10, 2017: DeGeneres performed a live, on-air commercial for Sabra hummus, a brand co-owned by Israel's Strauss Group, on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." The segment drew pushback from pro-BDS commenters who objected to Strauss's ties to the Israeli military, as reported by Mondoweiss.
- October 2023: In the days following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, DeGeneres posted on Instagram, "My heart is with the people of Israel." The exact day within October is not specified in available reporting; the post is corroborated by Ynetnews.
- October 2023: Israeli outlet Ynetnews grouped DeGeneres with an early wave of celebrities, including Barbra Streisand, Jerry Seinfeld and Debra Messing, who publicly expressed solidarity with Israel right after the October 7 attack.
- 2026 (as of August): No reputable-outlet reporting has surfaced of any further public statement, donation, boycott position, or event appearance by DeGeneres regarding Israel since her October 2023 Instagram post. Her recent public activity, including a new Finding Nemo short covered by Deadline, centers on entertainment projects and a UK/US lifestyle split unrelated to Israel.
Background and context
Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian and former daytime talk-show host, best known for hosting "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" from 2003 to 2022. She is not Jewish; reporting on her background traces her upbringing to a Christian Scientist household in Metairie, Louisiana, and no reputable source documents a personal Jewish-identity connection.
Her public record on Israel spans two episodes eight years apart. The first was the 2017 Sabra hummus commercial, which drew boycott criticism because Sabra's Israeli co-owner, the Strauss Group, supports the Israeli military. The second was a brief October 2023 Instagram post of solidarity with Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack, made alongside dozens of other entertainment figures in the same window.
DeGeneres was not confirmed as a signatory of the widely covered Creative Community for Peace open letter from that period. A check of the signatory list published by San Diego Jewish World did not include her name, so that claim is treated as unconfirmed rather than asserted here. Since 2023, she has not made further public comments on Israel, the war, the hostages, or the 2025 ceasefire that reputable outlets have picked up.
The bottom line
Ellen DeGeneres supports Israel in the limited, documented sense of a one-time public solidarity post after October 7, 2023, and an earlier (2017) on-air promotion of an Israeli-linked hummus brand that drew boycott criticism. She has no Jewish-identity connection and no record of sustained activism, donations, or event appearances tied specifically to Israel.
Show your own support for Israel
Whether or not a celebrity's brief statement moves you, plenty of people prefer to make their support visible every day. Shop Israel's I Stand With Israel collection offers wearable ways to do exactly that, from bracelets to tees, so your support for Israel is not limited to a single post.
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Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
