Friday night (Aug. 04, 2023), Jamie Foxx posted a cryptic message on Instagram that was nearly immediately read as antisemitic by many.
Foxx wrote, “They killed this dude name Jesus… what do you think they’ll do to you?” followed by the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove. Hours later, the actor apologized to “the Jewish community and everyone offended by my post” and clarified that his post was about a betrayal by a “fake friend.”
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 — then unliked — Foxx’s original post.
Foxx’s entire apology reads: “I 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 I’m sorry. That was never my intent. To clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and that’s what I meant with ‘they’ not anything more.”
He continued, “I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apology to anyone who was offended. ❤️❤️❤️.”
The actor signed off, “Nothing but love always, Jamie Foxx ❤️🦊🙏.”
Foxx’s 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, Foxx’s apology indicates that promoting the idea was not necessarily Foxx’s 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 “Judas” as a term for someone who betrays their friend has permeated pop culture as a synonym for a traitor or “fake friend.”
Foxx isn’t 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, “This really makes me sick. I did not ‘like’ 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 — I do NOT support antisemitism. And I truly don’t tolerate HATE of any kind. Period.”
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