Children's Entertainer Ms Rachel Makes Emotional Apology After Social Media Incident
The popular children's entertainer known as Ms Rachel has issued a heartfelt, tearful apology after facing criticism for liking an antisemitic comment on Instagram. The incident has sparked significant discussion among her followers and the wider online community about social media responsibility and accidental engagements.
Instagram Controversy Unfolds
Ms Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, originally shared a now-deleted Instagram post that expressed support for various causes with the text 'Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, Free Iran'. However, beneath this initial post, another user commented 'Free America from the Jews', which Ms Rachel accidentally liked according to her subsequent explanation.
Alert followers quickly noticed the interaction and privately messaged the 43-year-old YouTuber to bring it to her attention. The discovery prompted immediate concern among her audience, given the offensive nature of the comment she had appeared to endorse through the like function.
Emotional Video Response
In response to the growing controversy, Ms Rachel posted a video on Instagram with the caption 'I'm so broken over this'. During the emotional recording, she explained what she described as a genuine mistake in handling the platform's interface.
'So I thought I deleted a comment, and I accidentally hit like and hide,' she began in the video. 'I don't know how or why, but I've accidentally liked comments before; it happens, I'm a human who makes mistakes.'
The entertainer went on to offer a sincere apology for any confusion or hurt caused by the incident, stating emphatically: 'I'm so sorry if anyone thought I'd ever agree with something horrible and antisemitic like that: I don't.'
Personal Connections and Evidence
During her apology, Ms Rachel provided context about her personal relationships and values. She explained that she has Jewish family members and many Jewish friends, making antisemitism particularly abhorrent to her personally. 'We have Jewish family, a lot of my friends are Jewish. I delete antisemitic comments,' she stated clearly.
To support her claim that the like was accidental, she referenced private messages exchanged prior to her public apology. 'I have proof because yesterday someone messaged me,' she explained. 'There was a comment that [pointed out she had liked the comment], so I sent a message that said "Yes, I saw that and I deleted it" because that's what I thought happened, and then I said "I hate antisemitism".'
Mixed Reactions from Followers
The apology video received diverse responses from Ms Rachel's audience and the broader online community. Some supporters accepted her explanation as genuine, with one user commenting: 'I watched like 7 seconds of this video, and I already know it's 100% an accident.'
Others expressed more scepticism about the incident and her response. One critical comment read: 'If your heart were truly in the right place, you would have spoken out against antisemitism instead of defending yourself and explaining that it was a mistake.'
Background of Advocacy Work
Beyond her career as a children's entertainer, Ms Rachel has become known for her humanitarian advocacy, particularly regarding the conflict in Gaza. She regularly posts content about conditions in war zones and has called for an end to military actions affecting civilian populations.
This advocacy has previously drawn scrutiny from certain organisations. In April 2025, the group StopAntisemitism urged investigation into whether Ms Rachel might be disseminating propaganda aligned with specific political groups through her platform. Ms Rachel responded to these allegations at the time by telling The New York Times that such claims were 'absurd and patently false'.
She elaborated on her motivation for humanitarian work, stating: 'Caring about children in Gaza is a direct continuation of the work I've been doing most of my life. We don't care about only some of our students because of where those students were born; we care about every one of them.'
The recent Instagram incident highlights the challenges public figures face in navigating social media platforms, where accidental interactions can quickly escalate into significant controversies requiring careful public response and damage control.
