The Stardome Comedy Club in Hoover is responding to criticism after cancelling comedian Michael Rapaport’s show Tuesday night.
The venue said it chose to cancel the show over concerns of a “potentially volatile situation” and “planned protests” over Rapaport’s strong support of Israel.
“In the days leading up to the performance, The Stardome received over 100 messages on social media urging cancellation, along with notice of planned protests at the venue,” Stardome owner Bruce Ayers said in a statement.
“We agreed to the show simply as a comedy booking – not to make any kind of political statement. We have a long history of hosting a wide variety of entertainers, and our intention was only to give fans a chance to enjoy a night of live comedy.”
The comedian and actor responded to the situation on social media earlier this week, saying it was not his choice to cancel.
My show tonight at the Stardome in Alabama was CANCELLED.
I did not cancel. I would never cancel—especially since I’m already here in Birmingham, ready to perform.
It was shut down because of protests and threats over my support for Israel and for speaking up about the 50… pic.twitter.com/5XyV9Qtkkv— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) August 5, 2025
“My show tonight at the Stardome in Alabama was CANCELLED. I did not cancel. I would never cancel—especially since I’m already here in Birmingham, ready to perform,” Rapaport posted on his social media channels.
“It was shut down because of protests and threats over my support for Israel and for speaking up about the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza. 670 days in captivity—and people are protesting me for demanding their release?”
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Ayers contends that the cancellation had nothing to do with Rapaport’s positions.
“This wasn’t about silencing anyone,” he added. “It was about avoiding a potentially volatile situation and keeping things safe and peaceful for everyone involved.”
Rapaport said he will not be intimidated into silence about those remaining hostages in Gaza.
“It’s embarrassing. It’s sad. But I’m not ashamed. I stand by what I say and who I stand with,” he said. “Fortunately, I got to meet some incredible people from Chabad of Alabama today and had the blessing of rapping tefillin—a ginormous mitzvah and a reminder of what really matters. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
