Ms Rachel apologizes after 'liking' Instagram comment saying 'free America from the Jews'

Kids’ YouTube creator Ms. Rachel has claimed she mistakenly liked an antisemitic Instagram comment and was trying to delete it when she “misclicked,” prompting an apology in a follow-up video.

Ms. Rachel, whose legal name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, had posted a statement reading “Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, Free Iran,” accompanied by flags, a post that was later deleted. In the comments, one account added a message stating, "free America from the Jews.” Several users, including Accurso, had liked the comment.

She had deleted the comment and wrote, “I hate antisemitism.” In the caption of her apology post, Accurso said she believed she had deleted the comment and was “just tapping and thought [the comment] was deleted.” She added, “People are allowed to make mistakes,” and said she removes antisemitic content whenever she sees it. “I am against all forms of hate, including antisemitism against the Jewish people,” she wrote.

In a second post, Accurso shared a video of herself speaking directly to the camera, saying she was “so broken over this.” In the clip, she said she thought she was deleting the comment but accidentally hit “like and hide.” She said she would “never agree” with the antisemitic message and cited having Jewish family members and friends. She also said she has accidentally liked content before and attributed the mistake to being “old” and not “as good with touching things online.”

Accurso, 43, has millions of followers on Instagram and tens of millions of subscribers on YouTube, where her early-learning videos for toddlers and babies regularly draw large viewership. The incident comes amid broader scrutiny of Accurso’s political statements about the Israel-Hamas war. Critics have accused her of promoting an antisemitic and anti-Israel agenda. Critics have alleged that the "Songs for Littles" singer is trying to indoctrinate kids into a far-left, anti-Israel ideology. The advocacy group StopAntisemitism nominated Accurso as “Antisemite of the Year” in 2025 and urged US Attorney General Pam Bondi to review whether she is being paid to spread propaganda.

Though she recently collaborated with Elmo, she also collaborated with and joined the transition team of socialist Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani. In May, Ms. Rachel appeared on anti-Israel journalist Mehdi Hasan’s Zeteo News to bash the Jewish state with figures provided by Hamas that were later debunked. Accurso did not speak out against Hamas in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, which saw 38 children among those killed and 42 children taken hostage, but instead, waited until after Israel began its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip 12 days later to issue a statement.