The controversy surrounding DISTURBED frontman David Draiman reignited this week after actor John Cusack publicly condemned the singer’s decision to sign an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) artillery shell last year.
On Tuesday (October 21), Cusack — known for his roles in High Fidelity, Stand By Me, and Sixteen Candles — quote-tweeted a photo of Draiman writing “F**k Hamas” on a projectile. The image, originally shared by Draiman in June 2024, has drawn criticism from fans and activists alike. Cusack added his voice to the backlash, writing: “Anyone who signs a bomb is pyycotic [sic].”
Draiman responded later that day with a fiery rebuttal, accusing Cusack of sympathizing with Hamas, which he described as a “genocidal, Jew-hating death cult.”
“Hello @johncusack, my old friend,” Draiman wrote. “It isn’t psychotic to defend oneself from a genocidal death cult, hell bent on slaughtering you. What’s psychotic, is you defending that genocidal, Jew hating death cult, the way you have for years. You want psychotic? Look in the mirror.”
The shell-signing incident has continued to haunt Draiman. In July 2025, he was booed by parts of the crowd at Ozzy Osbourne’s “Back To The Beginning” retirement concert. More recently, the mayor of Vorst, Belgium, Charles Spapens, cancelled DISTURBED’s October 15 show in Brussels, citing security concerns after activist groups announced plans to protest.
Draiman attempted to address the growing tension during the band’s October 14 show in Amsterdam. Standing alongside his bandmates, he delivered a speech calling for unity: “The conflicts that are going on in this world don’t define us,” he said. “Because in this building, there is no f**king conflict. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Chinese or Taiwanese. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Indian or Pakistani, it doesn’t matter whether you are Israeli or Palestinian. Everyone is welcome in our house every f**king time we take the stage.”
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