Jamie Foxx Apologizes After Sharing Social Media Post Deemed Antisemitic

Jamie Foxx in Baby Driver
(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

Jamie Foxx has been steadily making his way back into public life months after being hospitalized for a medical complication he experienced on the set of an upcoming movie. Following a cavalcade of rumors regarding his condition, the A-lister addressed his fans directly and thanked them for their support. Since then, he’s been regularly active on social media again, but one of his latest posts stirred up controversy. Foxx shared a cryptic statement, which was subsequently viewed as being antisemitic. With that, the actor returned to social media to apologize and clarify his remarks. 

The 55-year-old actor initially took to Instagram to share a message that’s since been deleted. He posted, “They killed this dude name Jesus … What do you think they’ll do to you???!” That sentiment, which was captured by THR, also included the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove. A number of users were subsequently under the impression that the Ray alum was negatively referring to individuals belonging to the Jewish faith. However, when he returned to the social media platform, he offered the apology and explained that he meant no ill will: 

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. I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apologies to anyone who was offended. … Nothing but love always, Jamie Foxx.

So per the actor, he was actually referring to someone that’s apparently wronged him as of late. The comments section is filling up, with many people extending grace to him following the mix-up. A number of them, including actor David Krumholtz, say that they understood the sentiment he was trying to say in his first post. 

We don’t have all the context for the original post, but you can’t help but get the impression that it’s somehow Jamie Foxx’s medical situation. When Foxx broke his silence about his recovery journey, he praised his relatives for remaining mum as needed and for “protecting” him. He more recently shouted out his “courageous” sister, Diedra Dixon, for saving his life amid his health challenges. Considering how open he’s been in the aftermath of his hospitalization, it might be fair to assume that the “#fakefriends” message involved someone sharing something Foxx didn’t want divulged.

Whatever happened there aside though, the They Cloned Tyrone star seems to be healthy and is keen to get back to work. Insiders claim he plans to proceed with his career moves and business ventures as per usual. His relatives are apparently “relieved” that he’s back to work, though they allegedly “want him to go easy” as he eases back into his routine.

Based on what he’s done and said publicly throughout the years, Jamie Foxx has proven to be an inclusive individual. His apology here suggests that he’s truly sorry for the misunderstanding. And one can probably assume that he’ll seek to be more specific when it comes to posting on social media moving forward.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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