'Cosplayed as Feminist': Zendaya's Makeup Artist Slams Pink Over Her Reported Macklemore Backlash

Zendaya's longtime make‑up artist Ernesto Casillas has criticised pop star Pink as a 'cosplayed' feminist after the singer reshared a post attacking Macklemore's pro‑Palestine message at Ed Sheeran's MetLife Stadium concert in New Jersey on 4 September.

The online row began when Pink, born Alecia Beth Moore‑Hart, posted an Instagram Story from the account @stop_antisemitism.

The Story denounced Macklemore's onstage support for Palestine and his 2024 protest track Hind's Hall, which focuses on the war in Gaza and pro‑Palestinian campus demonstrations.

After Pink faced backlash for amplifying that message, she shared a series of quotes on her Instagram Stories, according to screenshots circulating online, and that is where Casillas entered the picture.

Ernesto Casillas Targets Pink's 'Feminist' Image

Casillas, who has worked with Zendaya on major campaigns and high‑profile red carpets, appeared to respond directly under one of Pink's reposted quotes, based on a screenshot widely shared on social media. The quote, originally from @singlewomandaily, began with the question 'What do you mean?' and ended with the line 'probably what I f***ing said.'

Underneath, the screenshot shows Casillas writing: 'Cosplayed as feminist while tearing down fellow contemporaries her entire career.' The comment challenged Pink's longstanding public association with female empowerment and feminism in one sharp sentence.

Pink has not, at the time of writing, publicly responded to Casillas' comment. The Instagram Stories involved in the exchange are no longer publicly viewable, which is normal for Stories after 24 hours, and IBTimes UK cannot independently verify when the comment was originally posted. What can be said is that fans and pop‑culture accounts on X and Instagram have reposted the wording attributed to Casillas repeatedly.

Pink has frequently spoken about gender expectations, individuality and female empowerment over the course of her career, and has often been framed as an artist who pushes back against pop stereotypes. That is partly why a criticism from someone inside the entertainment world, rather than from a random troll, has struck such a nerve among some fans.

How Macklemore's 'Free Palestine' Moment Drew in Pink and Ernesto Casillas

Macklemore used his support slot on Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to deliver a highly political speech at MetLife Stadium. Before performing Hind's Hall, he told the New Jersey crowd: 'I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.'

He added that he wanted those words 'to be loud and clear, so the people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten them.' During his 5 September performance at the same venue, Macklemore again addressed the audience and tried to draw a line between his criticism of Israel and antisemitism.

'To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters,' he said, 'criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against g***cide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.'

He also broadened his remarks beyond the Middle East, saying: 'So I say Free Palestine, I say Free Lebanon, I say Free Cuba, I say Free Congo, Free Sudan, I say Free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organisation, ICE.' He described the US immigration agency ICE as a 'terrorist organisation,' and said, 'None of us will be free until we are all free.'

His comments led the Israeli‑American Council to launch a petition urging Sheeran and tour organisers to drop Macklemore from the remaining dates. In its statement, the group accused the rapper of using the concert to push what it called a 'one‑sided political agenda' and asked for his removal from the Loop Tour over what it considered anti‑Israel messaging.

Pink's Instagram Repost Puts Her in the Firing Line

Pink, who has said in previous interviews that she is Jewish on her mother's side, did not issue any separate statement about Macklemore. Instead, she reposted an @stop_antisemitism Story that called his actions 'awful' and described his onstage remarks as turning the show into a 'political nightmare against the Jewish state.'

The repost placed Pink at the centre of a new round of online debate over Macklemore's comments and over celebrity responses to the war in Gaza. Some social‑media users criticised her for sharing the StopAntisemitism framing of the performance and accused her of endorsing its pro‑Israel stance. Others defended her right to highlight a post that reflected concerns about antisemitism, even if they did not agree with every word.

StopAntisemitism and other critics have argued that aspects of Macklemore's messaging cross into antisemitic territory. Macklemore, for his part, has been explicit onstage that his criticism is aimed at the Israeli state and its policies, not at Jewish people as a whole, stressing that his message is rooted in what he describes as human rights and equality.

Amid that online push and pull, Pink shared the @singlewomandaily quote that began 'What do you mean?' and ended 'probably what I f***ing said,' a post many readers took as a response to people questioning or reinterpreting her words.

That same post appears to be the one under which Casillas left his 'cosplayed as feminist' comment, effectively questioning the authenticity of her feminist image at the exact moment she was being scrutinised for a political repost.

The dispute has tapped into old tensions in pop culture around how women in the industry talk about each other, and who gets to decide whether a star's feminism is sincere or just branding. It also shows how quickly a single Instagram Story can pull in people who were nowhere near the original stage, from activist accounts to celebrity make‑up artists like Casillas.

It remains unclear whether Pink will respond publicly to Casillas' criticism or leave the online argument to run its course without her.