When it comes to I Love LA, we know that an influencer scandal is never just about the scandal. And in Episode 3 (titled “Girl’s Girl”), we see the familiar cocktail of tears, PR panic, ketamine accusations, and, to top it off, there was a TRESemmé deal barely hanging by a thread. But amid the Tallulah vs. Paulena meltdown, one seemingly throwaway line set off a firestorm. Charlie casually mentioned his “Birthright group chat.” And yes, the internet took it and sprinted, for a solid reason. Despite I Love LA being a show that is already overflowing with privilege jokes, gay community politics, and weaponized clout, this moment made things more ironic. why? We saw that with privilege, real-world political issues looked like they were too trivial to be taken into consideration now. What was said about the “Birthright group chat” on I Love LA?In this episode of I Love LA, we see Tallulah spiraling over online hate. That's when Maia asks Charlie whether people are texting him about Paulena’s exposé video. Charlie replies that even his old group chats are reactivating about the matter, and he included:“Like, my Birthright group chat randomly talking about it. Mostly they’re talking about other things, but…” View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe implication of his even being part of a group chat of this nature in the big 2025 suggests the chat frequently veers into uncomfortable territory. And Redditors jumped in within hours as one asked: “Anyone else [clocked] the mention of a ‘birthright group chat’?” Another admitted they “Had to stop watching.” A third said this moment “soured what was going to be my next favourite show.” What we do know is that Charlie’s slight shame could mean that the group chat exists amid the Israel-Palestine discourse and the state of the world right now. But we have to note that the characters are ignorant, so the Birthright line fits the theme. Writers knew it wouldn’t sail over everyone’s head.Why is this I Love LA scene controversial?The Birthright (also referred to as Taglit-Birthright Israel) reference is controversial, as the topic has long been a politically loaded one. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThis organization provides free trips to Israel for 18-26-year-old Jewish people. Private donors and the Israeli government fund the whole thing, but since October 7, 2023, the concept has been receiving more flak than before.Plus, the show keeps hinting at privilege-blind behavior, which has the fandom already divided over how I Love LA handles politics, because we must remember that the Israeli Prime Minister himself has an arrest warrant on him since 21 November 2024, which is why some fans saw this as a sign that the show isn’t afraid to acknowledge modern politics and others saw it as tone-deaf. But one of the most glaring issues is that Rachel Sennott (who plays the lead, Maia) supported the Artists for Ceasefire letter. So was this a commentary on how online activism fares in the objective circumstances?The discourse got so heated that one Redditor wrote:“Do you think [I Love LA] is endorsing the things these people do? I have no idea how you could read any of the main cast members as anything other than ignorant.”The characters on I Love LA do weaponize scandals and get excited about potential war crimes (a Redditor's words, not ours), but it doesn't seem like anyone here is meant to be a role model. What do you think? I Love LA is streaming on HBO Max.