Disturbed vocalist David Draiman had a fiery response for actor/political activist John Cusack on social media this week. The heated exchange came about as an individual on X had called for Disturbed‘s show in Dublin, Ireland tonight, October 22nd, to be canceled.
At the heart of that individual’s issue with that show booking was Draiman‘s past signing of an Israel Defense Force artillery shell back in 2024. Draiman added the phrase “F*ck Hamas” to that shell and has continued to face both backlash and support for it since. For their part, his detractors have accused him of warmongering, advocating genocide and more, often citing high civilian casualties that have been reported in the Israel Gaza war.
Draiman has continued to push back against those accusations, though his prominent advocacy for Israel’s military actions have remained a divisive issue. Security concerns related to his signing of that shell and the potential for protests or worse due in response recently saw the band’s show in Brussels, Belgium canceled by the local mayor. That decision was reached following a risk assessment conducted by local police.
Over the weekend, an individual on X shared the picture of Draiman signing the shell, stating:
“If there was someone shot in the head tonight in Cork City and my signature was found on the bullet, would you give me a gig @mcd_productions????
Ye will forever be a disgrace to this country if ye go ahead with this David Drainman gig next Wednesday in Dublin.”
John Cusack then reshared the post on October 20th, adding the caption, “Anyone who signs a bomb is pyycotic”. Draiman responded directly yesterday, offering:
“Hello @johncusack, my old friend.
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.”
Hello @johncusack , my old friend.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.
— David Draiman ????????????????? (@davidmdraiman) October 21, 2025