#NewsBytesExplainer: Jamie Foxx's 'antisemitic' controversy, how Jennifer Aniston is involved
Actor Jamie Foxx recently made the headlines due to his health scare, hospitalization, and gradual recovery, thus earning his fans' prayers. However, on Friday, he found himself being bashed online due to a now-deleted Instagram post and Story that was perceived as "antisemitic." Soon after, Jennifer Aniston was slammed for reportedly "liking" the post and, on Saturday, explained her stance. Here's the entire story.
But first, what does 'antisemitic' mean?
The term is believed to have originated in 1879 and was coined by the German agitator-journalist Wilhelm Marr. It refers to vehement hatred and discrimination against the Jews. Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's deeply-entrenched antisemitic beliefs caused the history-altering Holocaust, where about six million Jews lost their lives through execution, gas chamber cells, and brutal torture. A person holding such views is called an antisemite.
What Foxx's post said
On Instagram, Foxx seemed to target his (presumably) former friends after his life's rough patch. The now-inexistent post read, "They killed this dude name Jesus... what do you think they'll do to you? #fakefriends #fakelove (sic)." Foxx's post is being likened to Jewish deicide—a belief that states that Jews were collectively responsible for Jesus's death. Different religious scholars hold contrasting views on the matter.
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Singer Marques Anthony seemingly came out in Foxx's support
While Foxx's Instagram post and Story carried the same message, he reposted another Story where singer Marques Anthony seemed to agree with his sentiment. Anthony wrote on his Instagram Story, "Judas Showed His Self!!! @iamjamiefoxx know them for what they are." Notably, Judas Iscariot was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and is infamous for disclosing Jesus's whereabouts, eventually facilitating his execution.
Aniston liked post, and, thus, was caught in crossfire
On Saturday, Aniston uploaded an Instagram Story that read, "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 any form of antisemitism. I truly don't tolerate HATE of any kind. Period."
Here's what Aniston said in her defense
Fans expressed disgust, shock over Foxx's views
Foxx's post was slammed on social media. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, "Did they replace Jamie Foxx...with an anti-Semitic clone?" while another said, "Eek. Jamie, this is...it's not a good look. I'm not sure why antisemitism is becoming the new 'in' thing, but we gotta do better, y'all." Others have linked the post to some kind of a battle between Blacks and Jews.
Rapper Ye slammed earlier for similar controversy
Rapper Ye (Kanye West) has previously fueled similar controversies due to his problematic opinions. Last year, during an interview on Revolt TV, he said, "The Jewish community, especially in the music industry...they'll take us and milk us till [death]." In December 2022, he opined, "The Jewish media has made us feel like the Nazis and Hitler have never offered anything [valuable] to the world."
