Friday night (Aug. 04, 2023), Jamie Foxx posted a cryptic message on Instagram that was nearly immediately read as antisemitic by many.
Foxx wrote, โThey killed this dude name Jesusโฆ what do you think theyโll do to you?โ followed by the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove. Hours later, the actor apologized to โthe Jewish community and everyone offended by my postโ and clarified that his post was about a betrayal by a โfake friend.โ
Jennifer Aniston was also compelled to issue her own apology after Jewish news outlet A Wider Frame captured screenshots that appear to show she both liked โ then unliked โ Foxxโs original post.

Foxxโs entire apology reads: โI want to apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post. I now know my choice of words have caused offense and Iโm sorry. That was never my intent. To clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and thatโs what I meant with โtheyโ not anything more.โ
He continued, โI only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apology to anyone who was offended. โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ.โ
The actor signed off, โNothing but love always, Jamie Foxx โค๏ธ๐ฆ๐.โ
Foxxโs post has been called into question as it raises the concept of Jewish deicide, which blames Jews as a people for killing Jesus. The idea has been the backbone of antisemitic beliefs and movements for centuries. Christian churches have long decried the idea, but it still persists.
However, Foxxโs apology indicates that promoting the idea was not necessarily Foxxโs intent. In the traditional story of Jesus, he was betrayed by a follower named Judas before being killed by the Roman Empire. The use of โJudasโ as a term for someone who betrays their friend has permeated pop culture as a synonym for a traitor or โfake friend.โ

Foxx isnโt the only one in hot water following the post. Aniston surprised some when she appeared to like and then unlike his message, leading to her issuing her statement following the subsequent outcry. In her statement, she denies liking the post, even by accident.
She wrote in an Instagram story, โThis really makes me sick. I did not โlikeโ this post on purpose or by accident. And more importantly, I want to be clear to my friends and anyone hurt by this showing up in their feeds โ I do NOT support antisemitism. And I truly donโt tolerate HATE of any kind. Period.โ