American performer Jamie Foxx apologized on Saturday for a social-media post that was seen as anti-Semitic.
The Oscar-winning actor’s expression of regret comes on the heels of notorious anti-Semitic comments last year from the American rapper and singer Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, which caused a national uproar.
“Hey guys, I want to apologize to the Jewish community and anyone else who was offended by my post,” Foxx wrote on Instagram. “I know my words were clumsy and have caused offense. That was never my intent. To clarify, I felt betrayed by a fake friend, and that’s what I meant about ‘they,’ nothing more.
“I have love in my heart for everyone. I support the Jewish community and all faiths, and I’m against all hate! Once again my deepest apologies,” he added.
In the original Instagram post, Foxx wrote: “They killed this dude named Jesus... what do you think they’ll do to you?” The post was followed by the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove.
The canard that Jews are responsible for the killing of Jesus has fueled antisemitism for centuries.
The posts, which commentators directly linked to Jews, were removed from the account after a few hours.
Foxx, 55, who was recently released from a hospital after a lengthy stay to treat an emergency medical issue, has nearly 17 million followers on Instagram, where he posted the comments.
This past week, American rapper Cardi B posted and then deleted a picture of ultra-Orthodox men as a Jewish-lawyer trope to celebrate a decision by the Las Vegas police not to file charges over a recent incident at a concert.
