Actor Jamie Foxx has apologized after a social media post by him sparked accusations of anti-Semitism.
Foxx’s post – on Instagram – read: “They killed this guy named Jesus…what do you think they’ll do to you???! #fakefriends #fakelove”. But the 55-year-old artist deleted the post after other users claimed it echoed the hateful belief that Jews together crucified and killed Jesus Christ.
This idea has been used to justify violence against Jews for centuries, such as during the Holocaust, when 6 million people were murdered in Europe by the Nazis. A major document signed by leaders of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide at the Second Vatican Council in 1965 officially condemned the idea that Jews were collectively guilty of the murder of Christ.
And on Saturday, Foxx released a new Instagram post featuring a mea culpa from the actor.
“I want to apologize to the Jewish community and to anyone who was offended by my post,” Foxx’s statement read. “I now know my choice of words [has] offended and I’m sorry. It was never my intention.
“To clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and that’s what I meant by ‘they’, nothing more.”
Foxx’s apology concluded with an expression of love and support “for everyone”, including “the Jewish community”, as well as another offering of “deepest apologies”.
Meanwhile, Foxx wasn’t the only actor to get caught up in his Instagram controversy. Jennifer Aniston appears to have hit the platform’s “Like” button under Foxx’s deleted post “they killed that dude named Jesus,” and has since released her own statement condemning anti-Semitism.
“It really makes me sick,” said Aniston’s statement, which was posted on Instagram Stories. “I didn’t ‘like’ this post on purpose or by accident. And more importantly, I want to be clear to myself and anyone hurt by this appearance in their feeds – I don’t support anti-Semitism. And I don’t really tolerates no HATE of any kind. Period.”
Foxx’s handling of the episode earned him many supportive comments. Along with the actor’s apology on Saturday, music producer Breyon Prescott wrote, “Everyone who’s been around knows you don’t have any hate for anyone!!! … [You’re] the best, don’t let anyone make you think differently.
Actor Porscha Coleman added: “People can’t even talk anymore without someone being offended. You were clearly talking about someone you thought was a friend who turned out to be a traitor. …Society is so sensitive these days!
And podcast host Mark Birnbaum, who is Jewish, wrote on Instagram that he found Foxx to be “the most inclusive non-anti-Semitic person there is.”