Global pop sensation Dua Lipa has slammed the Daily Mail news outlet over a report she says is totally false “clickbait” regarding her professional relationship with a member of her management team, who the tabloid claims was fired by the singer over an instance of pro-Israel online activism.
If the story published by the Mail on September 20, were it confirmed as factually accurate, would ve a doozy that hits all of the marks of the zeitgeist: A vengeful pop star driven to cruelty by current politics; an innocent white man expressing his political beliefs and paying dearly for it; and the hot-button Israel-Palestine war-turned-genocide that is deeply polarizing even among those who largely share similar politics and beliefs. Add in an up-and-coming yet controversial Irish rap trio and one of the world’s most popular music festivals into the mix, and brother, you’ve got a potential viral hit on your hands.
The story’s agreed-upon facts are as follows: David Levy, a music industry type associated with Lipa, signed a petition to the purveyors of the beloved Glastonbury Festival urging them to ditch the rap trio Kneecap from 2025’s big event. A member of the group was out on bail at the time, facing terrorism charges in the U.K. for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert. The petition was unsuccessful, and Kneecap appeared at Glastonbury; the festival drew hundreds of thousands of music lovers to Somerset, England, in late June.
Below is the lead paragraph of the Daily Mail’s story, which Dua Lipa smacked down in an Instagram Stories post days later.
“Dua Lipa has dumped her Jewish agent after he campaigned to stop controversial rappers Kneecap performing at Glastonbury, claiming they were fuelling anti-Semitism. The singer’s long-standing representative David Levy was the first signatory on a letter urging festival founder Michael Eavis and his daughter Emily to drop the pro-Palestinian Belfast rappers, who have been accused of supporting Hezbollah terrorists.”
Katie Hind, a consultant editor, wrote the Mail article. It quotes an unnamed music industry source, who Hind reports told her that Lipa is still signed with William Morris Endeavor, but now works with a different talent management agent.
The Mail’s story was certainly a success and made its way across the web, as new information wants to, even if it’s true or false. The Lipa-Levy drama was quickly picked up by several outlets following its publication on Sept. 20. However, such widespread readership containing falsehoods led William Morris Endeavor to issue a corrective statement refuting the claims made by the Mail.
“Reports suggesting that Dua Lipa or her management dismissed one of our agents because of his political views are categorically false,” WME told the BBC. Levy had played a role in Lipa’s earlier career and had remained part of her team as an advisor for years; earlier in 2025, prior to the signing of the Kneecap-Glastonbury letter, he moved away from working with Lipa and on to other projects, an agency rep said.
The Daily Mail was quick to correct its story when this was all clarified. No apology was issued for the error and the article page shows no indication of what was updated on the afternoon of September 23.
On Tuesday, Lipa took to her Instagram to directly shut down the Mail’s reporting and tut-tut the article’s style and voice while dismissing it as mere clickbait that exploits a tragedy.
“I do not condone the actions of David Levy or other music executives toward an artist speaking their truth,” she wrote on Instagram, referring to Kneecap’s controversial stage show. “I also cannot ignore how this has been handled in the press. Not only was the story completely false, but the language used by the Daily Mail has been deliberately inflammatory, crafted purely for clickbait, clearly designed to fuel online division.
“It is always Free Palestine,” she added in the post. “But exploiting a global tragedy in order to sell newspapers is something I find deeply troubling.”
Lipa’s feelings around the war-turned genocide unfolding in Palestine became clear in October 2023, when she signed an open letter for the “Artists4Ceasefire” campaign with 185 artists urging President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire and end civilian killings amid Israel’s brutal ground invasion into the Gaza Strip. In response. Israeli duo Ness & Still wrote a song calling for Lipa’s death.