United Agents Head Of Comedy Kitty Laing Stepping Down From Role But Remaining With Agency Following Israel-Hamas Reposts

Max Goldbart
·2 min read
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United Agents Head of Comedy Kitty Laing is stepping down from her role and as a member of the agency’s executive committee following a spate of reposts about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Laing, who represents the likes of Jamie Demetriou, Katherine Ryan and Nick Mohammed, will continue working with her client roster along with the team at United.

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“Following the statements made earlier this week, it has been agreed that Kitty Laing will step away from her leadership roles as Head of Comedy and as a member of the Executive Committee of United Agents, effective immediately,” said a spokesman for United Agents. “Kitty will continue to work with her clients and the team at United Agents.”

The news comes after United conducted a “full and thorough investigation” when Laing’s reposts emerged earlier this week, at which point Laing reactivated her deleted Twitter to post an apology, before subsequently deleting it again. She has also deleted her Instagram.

This followed Borat Subsequent Moviefilm writer Lee Kern highlighting her posts in a lengthy X thread. The reposts included one calling for Jews in Israel to be referred to as “settler paramilitaries,” another that referred to “fake beheaded babies” in the context of the Al-Shifa Hospital attack and one that alluded to Israel being responsible for that disputed attack. On Instagram, Laing called the UK’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer “absolutely disgusting” and a “total moral coward” for insisting that Israel had a right “to defend herself” on his LBC radio show.

Laing is one of the most prominent agents in the British comedy world. On Wednesday, she said she “apologised unreservedly” for the reposts, adding: “With hindsight I realise how naive I have been and that much of the information on social media surrounding the conflict is unsubstantiated and hurtful.”

United’s investigation was completed in less than 48 hours and comes just days after CAA Co-Head of Motion Pictures Maha Dakhil temporarily stepped away from day to day leadership and resigned from the agency’s internal board.

Dakhil had reposted an Instagram story that said: “You’re currently learning who supports genocide.”

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