Frieze owner Ari Emanuel has weighed in on Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian speech, telling Jon Stewart on The Daily Show that he thinks the rapper’s remarks were off-base.
“I don’t believe the word genocide is the proper word for what happened in the West Bank,” Emanuel said, without ever mentioning Gaza, where a United Nations commission declared a genocide site in 2025.
The comments came days before the September 24 opening of New York’s Armory Show, which Frieze owns and operates alongside six other fairs, two exhibition spaces, and its namesake publication. Emanuel’s company, WME, represents Macklemore for North American bookings, though he did not disclose that connection during the interview.
The Interview With Stewart
The argument against the term concerned the word itself. Emanuel maintained that “genocide” went beyond what the actions in the Occupied West Bank warranted, while still defending his friendship with Elon Musk, who has repeatedly met with Israeli leadership.
“I think he’s done incredible things for the human race and continues to do great, unbelievable things,” Emanuel said of Musk. He added that when he disagrees with the Tesla CEO, he talks to him to “move” him.
Emanuel took part in a press tour for his new memoir, Roll the Calls, which he wrote alongside celebrity ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer. The book follows his career as a Hollywood agent, with him drawing on his own “anger and rage” to shape his business approach, while also working through the accomplishments of his older brother, Rahm Emanuel.
The Family’s History With Israel
Under President Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel worked as White House chief of staff from 2009 to 2010, having long stood up for Israel. Only recently has he turned against Israel’s leadership, referring to the state as a “territorial pariah” during a speech at Tel Aviv University in July.
Like his brother, Ari Emanuel has maintained a wishy-washy view on Israel’s actions. In 2024, he condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Simon Wiesenthal Center gala award speech.
He also called the popular pro-Palestinian liberation slogan “from the river to the sea” genocidal, and said that “Israel is not targeting civilians the way terrorists do.” An independent United Nations commission reported in June 2026 that Israel has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and deliberately targets children.
The Art Fair Connection
Through his company MARI, Emanuel bought Frieze from Endeavor Group Holdings in 2025 for $200 million; at the time he was serving as CEO there from 2017 through 2025. Then, in 2023, Frieze took over the Armory Show, which has endured among the oldest surviving art fairs in the United States.
Emanuel’s defense of his friendships with other right-leaning figures includes Dana White, the president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). White held the “UFC Freedom 250” event with President Donald Trump on the White House South Lawn in June.
A Wish For Open Debate
Emanuel expressed a desire for a more open conversation. “I don’t want to live in a country that is a cult or in a kind of echo chamber,” he said.
The idea he puts forward involves a particular situation “where we can all sit there and say, okay, here’s one argument, here’s the other, and let’s get to a point where we can have a conversation.”.
The fair opens on September 24.
| Comparison | Emanuel’s Position | Macklemore’s Speech |
|---|---|---|
| Term used for West Bank | Rejects use of “genocide” | Uses “genocide” to describe West Bank |
| Mention of Gaza | Never mentioned Gaza | Not addressed in this article |
| Response to criticism | Defends friendships with Musk and others | Not addressed in this article |
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side’s framing of the conflict and instead urges keeping the channels open for trade, diplomacy and compromise, consistent with its skepticism toward foreign entanglements and trade wars alike. The disagreement between Ari Emanuel and Macklemore is personal and public, but it does not settle the underlying dispute.
Emanuel’s argument against the term “genocide” is an argument about words, not facts. The UN report that found Israel had killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and deliberately targeted children is unverified in the source material, yet the paper’s skepticism toward foreign entanglements means it does not take sides on what the word describes.
What matters for the Armory Show’s audience is the context Emanuel himself provided: his own company represents Macklemore for North American bookings, a detail he did not disclose during the interview. The paper would rather readers know the connections behind the statements than judge them in isolation.
Source material: “Frieze Owner Ari Emanuel Criticizes Macklemore Over Pro-Palestinian Comments,” Hyperallergic.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.