Jamie Foxx apologises for Instagram post that echoed antisemitic trope
The superstar said he wrote ‘they killed this dude name Jesus’ because he ‘felt betrayed by a fake friend… nothing more,’ and stressed that he ‘supports the Jewish community and all faiths’
(Times of Israel) – Performer Jamie Foxx apologised on Saturday for posting a cryptic statement online that seemed to parrot antisemitic tropes.
“Hey guys, I want to apologise to the Jewish community and anyone else who was offended by my post,” Foxx wrote on Instagram. “I know my words were clumsy and have caused offense. That was never my intent. To clarify, I felt betrayed by a fake friend, and that’s what I meant about ‘they,’ nothing more.
“I have love in my heart for everyone. I support the Jewish community and all faiths, and I’m against all hate! Once again my deepest apologies,” he added.
In the original Instagram post, Foxx wrote: “They killed this dude name Jesus… what do you think they’ll do to you?” The post was followed by the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove.
It wasn’t immediately clear to whom Foxx was referring. Jewish deicide, the belief that Jews are collectively responsible for the killing of Jesus, has fueled antisemitism for centuries.
Commentators online linked the post to Jews, with some applauding the rhetoric and others sounding the alarm.
A number of comments compared the posts to antisemitic statements from Kanye West, who now goes by Ye. Foxx and Ye have collaborated on award-winning music.
Foxx, an actor, comedian and singer, shared the statement as both a permanent post in the main grid of his account, and as a temporary “story.”
Foxx also shared a comment from another user that said, “Judas showed his self!!! [Jamie Foxx] know them for what they are.”
The posts were removed from the account, which has 16.7 million followers, after a few hours.
After having initially liked the post, actress Jennifer Aniston apologised cryptically, saying she had not supported it either deliberately or accidentally.
“This really makes me sick. I did not ‘like’ this post on purpose or by accident,” she wrote. “And more importantly I want to be clear to my friends and anyone hurt by this showing up in their feeds — I do NOT support any form of antisemitism. And I truly don’t tolerate HATE of any kind. Period.”
Foxx posted the statement shortly before Shabbat, and there was no immediate response from mainstream Jewish groups. A company owned by Foxx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Foxx was recently released from a hospital after a lengthy stay to treat an emergency medical issue, but has not released details about the condition.
comments