Actor Jamie Foxx, who recently thanked people for their prayers during a prolonged health scare, has apologized for a social media post he said was misinterpreted as antisemitic. In a now-deleted Instagram post, the 55-year-old performer wrote on Friday, Aug. 4: “They killed this dude name Jesus… what do you think they’ll do to you?” He added the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove.
After some commentators accused Foxx of using antisemitic language, he removed the post and issued an apology. “I want to apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post,” the Oscar winner wrote on Instagram August 5. “I now know my choice of words have caused offense and I’m sorry. That was never my intent.”
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Foxx, who starred in “Just Mercy,” clarified, “I was betrayed by a fake friend and that’s what I meant with ‘they’ not anything more. I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apologies to anyone who was offended.”
‘They Killed Jesus’ Is a Black Colloquialism
Critics of Jamie Foxx’s post (made just before the Sabbath began) say his wording played into a harmful trope against the Jewish race. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “The myth that Jews collectively murdered Jesus, also referred to as ‘deicide,’ has been used to justify violence against Jews for centuries.” The group added, “Historians as well as Christian leaders have agreed that the claim is baseless.”
Other people defended Foxx, noting that “they killed Jesus” is a colloquialism in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). The phrase serves as a warning against being over-trusting of certain people. Foxx might have been referring to acquaintances who leaked information about his hospital stay, an experience he described as going “to hell and back.”
Journalist Ernest Owens wrote, “It was clear to the public that many of those ‘sources close to Foxx’ who peddled those lies [about his health condition] were betraying him. So when Foxx said that ‘they killed this dude name Jesus,’ the ‘they’ were backstabbers who present themselves as friends.”
“For those who grew up in the Black church,” Owens added, “it was not uncommon to be reminded that those of us who were often shocked that we were betrayed to remember the person we worship experienced such hurt as well. It serves as a humbling reminder that the Lord who Christians serve went through it so that we know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”
This incident highlights the importance of considering “cultural context,” said Owens. “Why would Foxx—who has no storied history of pushing harmful slurs or insults of any marginalized community—choose to jeopardize his career with a random post attacking Jewish people?”
White Privilege Enters the Conversation
Jennifer Aniston, Foxx’s co-star in “Horrible Bosses,” liked Foxx’s original post. But after she was criticized for doing so, she spoke out against antisemitism—and is now being accused of throwing Foxx under the bus. “This really makes me sick,” Aniston said about Foxx’s post. “I do NOT support any form of antisemitism. And I truly don’t tolerate HATE of any kind. Period.”
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