Mia Khalifa Faces Backlash Over Comments Mocking Veterans and Military Service

Former adult film actress Mia Khalifa is at the center of a social media firestorm following a video in which she made inflammatory remarks about U.S. military personnel and veterans. Khalifa, now a social media influencer and activist, made deeply controversial statements in the video that have been attacked by many as insensitive and offensive.

Khalifa says in the video that soldiers are “selling their bodies to the government“. Khalifa also mocked veterans, saying she hopes they come home from war with PTSD. Her comments-most notably her sarcastic comment about the VA screwing over veterans-has social media at large up in arms. Critics have called the comments heartless, among other things, given how many veterans struggle with mental health and how the VA system is woefully underfunded.

Khalifa’s video seemed to target another motivation behind American involvement in foreign conflicts. She counseled soldiers not to fight in wars for others, as it would equate to fighting on behalf of a government that does not care whether they live or die. She even insinuated that soldiers returning with PTSD would get little to no support: “Let’s see how much the VA cares about you. They’re going to tell you to do breathing exercises because the U.S. government doesn’t give a f*** about you.”

Mia Khalifa's family fled the middle east because of an ongoing war when she was a child and she grew up in Maryland with the safety and stability afforded to all Americans by the US military.

This is what she thinks of the US military members.

Unfortunately she's a US… pic.twitter.com/bnQPUwAHwo

— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) October 23, 2024

The backlash comes at a time when there is a growing awareness of the mental health challenges faced by veterans and the poor services put in place for them. Khalifa’s comments widely came across as dismissing the sacrifices made by military personnel who place their lives on the service line; many have spoken in defense of veterans.

The new controversy comes after myriad inflammatory comments Khalifa has made since the Israel-Hamas War. Last October 2023, U.S.-based adult entertainment company Playboy dropped her after she made comments on social media that seemed to endorse violence. Khalifa had described the Hamas attackers as “freedom fighters,” a term she later defended in an interview with The New York Times, describing the scene she described as “poetic, symbolic, and beautiful.” The remarks she made were to explain that the image of civilians and children breaking down a fence reminded her of the Berlin Wall coming down.

The staunch criticism of U.S. military intervention by Khalifa has also been influenced by her views on the ongoing conflicts in her homeland of Lebanon and Gaza. She has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has used her platforms to criticize the U.S. government’s foreign policy, more so in its support for Israel. However, many have found that recent comments she made cross the line in disrespecting veterans, who can be personally affected by PTSD and other traumas about war.

The fallout has been swift, as many on social media call for her to apologize or clarify her stance on the military. Thus far, Khalifa hasn’t publicly backtracked on her comments; if anything, she’s continued to criticize U.S. foreign policy and its treatment of veterans.

This controversy also brought back to the fore discussions of the long-range mental health effects of military service and poor care for many veterans when they returned to civilian life. The occasion was taken by the advocates of mental health to push through the reforms in the VA system and to pay greater attention to the needs of soldiers afflicted with PTSD.

As tensions in the Middle East remain on the rise and the U.S. government continues to deploy troops, Khalifa’s comments have merely added fuel to an already heated debate about U.S. involvement in foreign military actions. Only time will tell whether be another slight against her public persona, only er, the backlash among veterans and those that support them will likely continue.