Disney’s live-action Snow White, released on March 15, 2025, was supposed to be a triumphant reimagining of a beloved classic, blending modern sensibilities with fairy-tale charm. Instead, it has morphed into a cultural and financial trainwreck, grossing a paltry $87 million worldwide against a $270 million budget and plummeting further in its second week. At the center of the storm is Rachel Zegler, the 23-year-old Latina actress cast as Snow White, whose outspoken politics and controversial comments have made her a lightning rod for criticism. Enter Ben Shapiro, the conservative commentator and Daily Wire co-founder, who has reportedly “destroyed” Zegler in a blistering takedown over the film’s failure. But what exactly did Shapiro say, and how does it fit into the broader narrative surrounding this Disney disaster? Let’s break it down, weaving in web-sourced context and objective analysis to explore this clash of ideology and entertainment.

The Snow White saga was fraught from the start. Zegler’s casting in 2021 sparked immediate backlash from traditionalists who argued her Colombian heritage didn’t align with the “fairest of them all” archetype. She fired back, embracing a progressive vision of Snow White as a leader, not a damsel, and dismissing the 1937 original as “weird” in a 2022 Extra TV interview. Her comments—calling the prince a “stalker” and reimagining the story sans romance—alienated Disney purists. The film’s production woes, from a set fire to CGI dwarves replacing real actors (later reversed after Peter Dinklage’s critique), only deepened the mess. By August 2024, when the trailer hit 120 million views, Zegler’s X post—“and always remember, free Palestine”—thrust the project into a geopolitical quagmire, clashing with co-star Gal Gadot’s pro-Israel stance and prompting Disney to tighten its PR leash.

The film’s March premiere was a muted affair, and its opening weekend was a disaster—$43 million domestically, far below The Little Mermaid’s $95.5 million. Critics panned its 41% Rotten Tomatoes score, citing a muddled script and Gadot’s “wooden” Evil Queen, while audiences stayed away, dropping 53% in week two. For a film needing $800–850 million to break even, the current sub-$200 million projection is a death knell. Zegler’s political outbursts didn’t help—her November 2024 Instagram screed, “F*** Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters never know peace,” post-Trump’s re-election, likely turned off conservative family filmgoers, who make up 37% of the demographic, per EnTelligence. Disney’s “woke” pivot—diverse casting, feminist themes—became a punching bag in the culture wars, and Zegler, its most vocal face, took the heat.

Cue Ben Shapiro. The 41-year-old pundit, known for his sharp-tongued critiques of progressive Hollywood, seized on Snow White’s flop as red meat for his audience. On his March 28, 2025, episode of The Ben Shapiro Show, titled “Disney’s Woke Snow White Disaster Proves Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings,” Shapiro reportedly tore into Zegler with his trademark blend of data and disdain. X posts from fans like @ShapiroStan hyped the segment: “Ben Shapiro just ENDED Rachel Zegler’s career over Snow White. Facts and logic for the win!” Clips circulating online show Shapiro mocking Zegler’s “arrogant” dismissal of the original, her “divisive” politics, and her role in tanking a $270 million film. “This is what happens when you let a 23-year-old with a Twitter account and a victim complex run your PR,” he quipped, per transcripts. “Disney handed her a legacy, and she torched it.”

Shapiro’s attack wasn’t just personal—it was ideological. He framed Snow White as a case study in “woke” overreach, arguing Disney’s DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) obsession alienated its core audience. Citing box office stats—Dumbo’s $45 million opening dwarfed Snow White’s—he claimed Zegler’s casting and the film’s feminist slant were “unforced errors” in a market craving nostalgia, not lectures. He pointed to her Palestine post as a “self-inflicted wound,” noting Gadot’s security spike and the boycott calls from pro-Israel groups. “You don’t get to alienate half your audience and then cry when the receipts don’t show up,” Shapiro said, per X user @DailyWireClips. He even took a swipe at her acting, calling her Snow White “a petulant teenager, not a princess,” though he spared Gadot similar venom.

The internet lit up. On X, @TheMagaHulk cheered, “Shapiro just owned Zegler so hard she’s probably crying into her woke script.” @EndWokeness posted, “Ben Shapiro destroys Rachel Zegler and Disney’s DEI disaster in 10 minutes flat.” The Daily Wire’s YouTube upload of the segment racked up 1.2 million views in 48 hours, dwarfing Zegler’s own opening-day Instagram post (800k likes). Shapiro’s fans hailed it as a “masterclass in dismantling Hollywood elitism,” while critics like @writtenbysara shot back, “Ben Shapiro punching down at a 23-year-old woman while ignoring Disney’s bigger failures is peak cowardice.” The clash trended, with “Rachel Zegler” and “Ben Shapiro” spiking on Google Trends through March 30.

But how much did Shapiro really “destroy” Zegler? His critique was savage, yes, but not groundbreaking—echoing sentiments already swirling on X and YouTube. Channels like Teatime with Teana had been hammering Zegler’s “meltdown” for days, and conservative outlets like Breitbart ran pieces like “Rachel Zegler’s Snow White: A Woke Flop for the Ages” pre-Shapiro. His take added numbers—box office drops, audience demographics—and a polished delivery, but it was less a knockout blow than a megaphone for an existing pile-on. Zegler’s career isn’t “ended”; she’s still rumored for MCU roles, and her Hunger Games prequel ($349 million) outgrossed Shapiro’s own Daily Wire films like Run Hide Fight ($100k).

Zegler hasn’t responded directly—smart, given Shapiro’s debate-honed trap-setting. Her last public move was a March 25 Instagram post thanking the Snow White crew, captioned “life-changing,” with no hint of retreat. Her fans rallied, trending “We Stand With Rachel” and slamming Shapiro as a “bully” exploiting a young star’s stumble. Film critic David Ehrlich tweeted, “Ben Shapiro gloating over a 23-year-old’s tough break is the least surprising thing of 2025.” Meanwhile, Disney stayed mum, letting the culture war rage while Iger pivoted to hype Zootopia 2 in earnings calls.

The Shapiro-Zegler showdown is less about them than the fault lines they expose. Shapiro, a darling of the anti-woke right, sees Snow White as proof liberalism poisons art—his 2024 book The Authoritarian Moment rails against such “cultural decay.” Zegler, a Gen Z progressive, embodies the push for representation and authenticity, even if her brashness backfires. The film’s failure isn’t all her fault—Gadot’s flat performance, a weak script, and remake fatigue share blame—but her politics made her the perfect target. Shapiro’s takedown, clocking in at 12 minutes per podcast logs, was catnip for his 6.3 million X followers, who relish seeing “snowflakes” melt under “facts and logic.”

Did Shapiro “destroy” Zegler? Not literally—her career’s bruised, not buried. His critique landed punches, amplifying the narrative of her as Snow White’s Achilles’ heel, but it’s a victory of optics, not substance. The real casualty is Disney, hemorrhaging cash and credibility as its live-action gambit falters. For Zegler, this is a storm to weather; for Shapiro, it’s another notch in his culture-war belt. The mirror on the wall shows a tale of clashing titans—neither fully triumphant, both feeding a polarized age where entertainment doubles as ideology. As Snow White fades, the feud’s echoes will linger, proving once again that in 2025, no fairy tale escapes the battlefield.