In a clash that has set the internet ablaze, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has taken aim at actress Rachel Zegler, delivering a scathing takedown over her role in Disney’s upcoming Snow White live-action remake—a project he’s branded a “disaster” of epic proportions. The verbal sparring, which erupted on March 26, 2025, during Shapiro’s Daily Wire podcast, has reignited a culture war over the film, pitting the outspoken pundit against the 23-year-old star in a battle of wits, ideology, and fairy-tale legacy. With Shapiro’s fiery critique going viral and Zegler’s defenders rallying, the nation is gripped by a spectacle that’s as much about politics as it is about a princess. Did Shapiro truly “destroy” Zegler, or is this just another chapter in his crusade against Hollywood’s progressive turn?
The saga traces back to Zegler’s casting as Snow White in 2021, a decision that sparked immediate controversy due to her Colombian-Polish heritage clashing with the character’s traditional “skin as white as snow” description from the Brothers Grimm tale and Disney’s 1937 classic. Shapiro, never one to shy from a cultural brawl, had already criticized the choice in 2023, arguing on The Ben Shapiro Show that it was “weird casting” for a “racially specific white princess.” But his latest salvo, unleashed this week, escalated the feud to new heights, targeting not just her casting but her public comments and the film’s reimagined direction—culminating in what fans are calling a “destruction” of Zegler’s credibility.
Shapiro’s March 26 podcast episode, titled “Disney’s Snow White Disaster: Rachel Zegler’s Woke Nightmare,” pulled no punches. He opened with a signature rapid-fire rant: “Rachel Zegler has turned Snow White into a girl-boss fever dream, and it’s a train wreck. This isn’t a remake—it’s a desecration. She’s out there trashing the original, saying it’s ‘weird’ and ‘dated,’ like she’s some feminist savior rewriting history. Newsflash, Rachel: it’s a fairy tale, not your personal TED Talk.” The studio audience cheered as Shapiro dissected Zegler’s 2022 interviews, where she’d called the 1937 film’s prince a “stalker” and emphasized that her Snow White wouldn’t be “saved by the prince” but would instead focus on leadership—a shift he mocked as “progressive fan fiction.”
He didn’t stop there. Shapiro zeroed in on Zegler’s claim to Variety that the film’s love story was “not the focus,” quipping, “So you’ve got a Snow White who doesn’t need a prince, doesn’t want love, and probably lectures the dwarves on intersectionality. What’s next—does she unionize the forest animals?” He cited the original’s cultural significance—Disney’s first feature-length animated film, a 1937 masterpiece that earned an honorary Oscar—and accused Zegler and Disney of “spitting on Walt’s grave” with their “woke overhaul.” Clips of the rant flooded X, with posts like “Ben Shapiro DESTROYS Rachel Zegler—Snow White is officially canceled” racking up millions of views.
Zegler, who’s faced backlash since the film’s first trailer dropped in August 2024 (now at over a million dislikes on YouTube), has been a lightning rod for conservative ire. Her comments—dismissing the original’s romance as “weird” and touting a “modern” Snow White—drew Shapiro’s ire as emblematic of Hollywood’s “anti-traditional agenda.” He argued, “This isn’t about empowering women—it’s about erasing what made Snow White timeless. She’s a damsel who rises through kindness and grace, not a CEO in a corset. Zegler doesn’t get it, and Disney’s betting $200 million on her cluelessness.” He even tied it to broader politics, claiming it’s “the same leftist nonsense driving Biden’s failures—virtue signaling over substance.”
The “destruction” narrative took off online, fueled by Shapiro’s fans and Daily Wire followers. “Ben just ended Rachel Zegler’s career,” tweeted @MAGAWarrior, while a YouTube compilation titled “Ben Shapiro DESTROYS Rachel Zegler Over Snow White DESASTER?!” hit 500,000 views in 24 hours. The video spliced Shapiro’s barbs with Zegler’s interviews, painting her as out-of-touch and Shapiro as the voice of reason. Conservative pundit Matt Walsh, Shapiro’s colleague, piled on, calling Zegler’s casting “anti-white racism” and the remake “a feminist fever dream”—a one-two punch that amplified the outrage.
But did Shapiro really “destroy” Zegler, or is this hyperbole from a polarized echo chamber? Zegler’s defenders argue he’s punching down at a young actress navigating a cultural minefield. On X, fans rallied with posts like “Rachel Zegler doesn’t deserve this—Shapiro’s just mad a Latina got the role,” pointing to her Vogue Mexico interview where she expressed pride in representing Spanish-speaking fans. Others noted her talent—her Golden Globe-winning turn in West Side Story—and accused Shapiro of cherry-picking quotes to fuel his narrative. “Ben’s obsessed with Disney because it’s an easy target,” one user wrote. “Rachel’s just doing her job.”
The film itself, set for release on March 21, 2025, has been a lightning rod beyond Zegler. Peter Dinklage’s 2022 critique of the “backward” seven dwarves prompted Disney to reimagine them as diverse “magical creatures,” drawing ire from both conservatives (who decry “woke casting”) and dwarfism advocates (who wanted actors with dwarfism). Shapiro seized on this too, mocking the change as “a rainbow coalition of tall people and one dwarf—because that’s what kids want.” Add Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen and a premiere scaled back amid controversy, and Snow White is less a movie than a cultural battlefield.
Sh Shapiro’s attack wasn’t just personal—it was strategic. In 2023, he’d admitted on Critical Drinker After Hours that The Daily Wire’s rival Snow White and the Evil Queen (released via Bentkey) was a direct response to Zegler’s film, sparked by her comments and Disney’s dwarf debacle. “We saw an opening,” he said then. Now, with Disney’s version floundering—its 47% Rotten Tomatoes score is among the lowest for a live-action remake—Shapiro’s framing his critique as a victory lap, contrasting Bentkey’s “faithful” take with what he calls “Zegler’s disaster.”
Zegler hasn’t responded directly to Shapiro’s latest broadside, but her past reactions suggest resilience. After the 2024 trailer backlash, she posted “free Palestine” on X alongside thanks to fans, doubling down amid conservative fury over her politics (she’s criticized Trump post-election too). In an October 2024 Variety interview, she clarified that love remains “integral” to her Snow White, softening her earlier stance—a nuance Shapiro ignored. Her silence now may be tactical, with the film’s March 15 premiere looming and Disney reportedly limiting press access to control the narrative.
The public’s split mirrors the stakes. MAGA fans hail Shapiro as a truth-teller, with X posts like “Ben exposed Rachel and Disney’s woke garbage—game over.” Liberals decry him as a bully, with one tweeting, “Shapiro’s whining about a fairy tale while kids can’t afford lunch—priorities, huh?” Neutral observers see theater: “He didn’t destroy her—he yelled into a mic for clicks,” a YouTube commenter noted. The film’s box office projections ($45-55 million opening weekend) lag behind Aladdin or The Little Mermaid, hinting Shapiro’s noise might sway audiences—though nostalgia could still pull Disney through.
Shapiro’s “destruction” is less about Zegler’s ruin than his own brand. At 41, he thrives on cultural flashpoints—Barbie, The Last of Us, now Snow White—using them to rally his base and sell subscriptions (Bentkey’s ad ran mid-rant). Zegler, at 23, is collateral damage in his war on “woke Hollywood,” her career likely intact given her Hunger Games prequel success. But the damage to Snow White’s rollout is real—Disney’s scrambling, and Shapiro’s gloating.
As the dust settles, the “disaster” label sticks more to the discourse than the film itself. Shapiro didn’t destroy Zegler—he amplified a divide she’s navigated since day one. She’s still standing, piano skills and all, while he’s still shouting. The real test comes March 21: will audiences buy tickets or buy Shapiro’s boycott? For now, the nation’s hooked on the drama—a fairy tale feud where the only clear winner is the buzz. Leavitt’s laughing somewhere, but Shapiro’s got the mic—and he’s not letting go.
