Disney’s Snow White has been plagued with controversy for years, but now, the mainstream media is working overtime to shift the Snow White blame onto the fans and even Gal Gadot instead of placing it where it belongs—on Disney’s poor creative choices and Rachel Zegler’s repeated missteps.
A new article from The Hollywood Reporter acknowledges the film’s marketing struggles and ongoing backlash, but rather than holding Zegler accountable for alienating audiences, it suggests that Snow White blame should be shared among culture war critics, Gadot’s support for her home country of Israel, and supposed misinformation about the film’s production.
The dislike ratio for the Snow White trailer as of 02/03/25
The report was even edited after publication to downplay Disney’s embarrassing backtracking on the Seven Dwarfs controversy—raising serious questions about just how much influence the studio has over the press coverage of this film.
Shifting the Snow White Blame Away From Zegler
Rachel Zegler’s comments about the original Snow White have been a PR disaster since day one. She dismissed the classic film as being “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power.” She mocked the Prince as a stalker, and proudly declared that the remake was PC because it “needed that.”
“People are making these jokes about ours being the ‘PC Snow White,’ where it’s like, yeah, it is—because it needed that,” she said back in 2022 in an ExtraTV interview.
These remarks sparked immediate backlash, as many fans felt she was openly insulting the legacy of one of Disney’s most beloved films.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
But Zegler’s troubles don’t stop there. She has also alienated audiences with divisive political rants, including a post-election outburst where she declared that Trump supporters, voters, and Trump himself should “never know peace.” Though she later apologized, the damage was done—her open hostility toward a significant portion of the audience ensured that Snow White would be an uphill battle.
Additionally, she used a promotional post regarding the Snow White trailer (which received millions of dislikes) to advocate for Palestine in the Middle Eastern conflict, directly tying her political stance into this film.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Despite this, The Hollywood Reporter barely touches on Zegler’s controversies, instead framing the Snow White backlash as little more than “culture war attacks” by people who were supposedly determined to hate the film from the start. This ignores the reality that much of the criticism stems from Zegler’s own words and Disney’s misguided attempts to modernize a classic in ways that audiences never asked for.
Dragging Gal Gadot Into the Controversy
While Zegler has done plenty to stir controversy, THR bizarrely tries to place some of the Snow White blame on Gal Gadot as well. This seems as though it could be some kind of media marching order, as just a day before Variety’s Marc Malkin made a similar push.
Unlike Zegler, who has gone out of her way to antagonize the fanbase, Gadot’s only so-called controversy is her assertion that she’s a proud Jewish woman and sharing support for her home country of Israel while receiving an award from the Anti-Defamation league.
Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The article notes that Gadot has been a “divisive figure” due to her comments in support of Israel. It even includes a debunked rumor that she refused to present an Oscar to a Palestinian film, despite her representatives confirming she was never even asked to do so. By including these details in an article about Snow White’s struggles, THR is subtly implying that Gadot is part of the film’s PR problem—even though she has done nothing to attack audiences or belittle the source material.
(L-R): Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen and Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This is a clear attempt to shift attention away from Zegler’s behavior and onto a politically safe scapegoat. Unlike Zegler, who has actively driven fans away, Gadot’s only “crime” is standing by her beliefs without tying them directly to the film as Zegler has done.
Yet the media is treating both women as if they’re equally controversial.
The Mysterious THR Edit—Disney Rewriting History?
Perhaps the most revealing part of THR’s article isn’t what it says, but what it changed. After publication, the article was edited to downplay Disney’s mismanagement of the Seven Dwarfs controversy.
Originally, the article admitted that Disney had initially cast a “diverse group of actors of various sizes and genders” to play the Seven Dwarfs, which was widely mocked when leaked set photos surfaced. The piece even noted that Disney later pivoted to using CGI dwarfs after the backlash.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
However, this was later changed to claim that reports about the Seven Dwarfs were “erroneous” and that director Marc Webb always intended for them to be CGI from the start. This revision raises serious questions about whether Disney pressured THR to rewrite history and erase any mention of its previous course correction. If Webb had always planned for CGI dwarfs, why did those set photos exist? Why did Disney quietly make changes after the backlash?
The attempt to rewrite the narrative is painfully obvious, and it shows just how desperate Disney is to distance itself from past mistakes.
Disney’s Unusual Marketing Strategy—Or Lack of One
Adding to the chaos, Disney has been strangely reserved in its promotion of Snow White. Unlike previous live-action remakes, which launched marketing campaigns months in advance, Snow White only began selling advance tickets less than two weeks before release.
Industry insiders have noticed the unusual handling, with one exhibitor telling THR, “They’ve been going through the motions on Snow White, all but saying, ‘we need to get this thing over with.’”
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
On top of that, Disney has taken extreme measures to control the premiere, barring press from asking questions on the red carpet. This is a move typically reserved for scandal-ridden projects like The Flash, starring Ezra Miller—except Miller had been accused of actual crimes, whereas Zegler’s problems stem entirely from her own words.
Media Spin Won’t Save Snow White
The mainstream media can’t ignore the Snow White blame anymore, but they’re doing everything they can to muddy the waters. Instead of placing the responsibility on Rachel Zegler, who has been at the center of the controversy from the start, they’re painting fans as bad-faith critics and dragging Gal Gadot into the discussion for no legitimate reason. Meanwhile, Disney is quietly trying to rewrite history to cover its own mistakes.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
But audiences aren’t buying it. The backlash against Snow White didn’t come out of nowhere—it was earned through poor creative decisions, disrespect for the source material, and a lead actress who went out of her way to insult the fanbase. No amount of media spin can change that.
