Jennifer Aniston roasted after accusing Jamie Foxx of antisemitism; turns off Instagram comments
It looks like Jennifer Aniston was right when she once said, “I hate social media. I’m not good at it.”
Over the weekend, the “Friends” star found herself embroiled in a social media “fiasco” and turned off her Instagram comments after she inserted herself into an earlier social media controversy involving Jamie Foxx, her co-star in the 2011 film, “Horrible Bosses.” On Friday, Foxx, who has been in a long recovery from an unspecified “medical complication,” posted a message that was initially deemed by some to be antisemitic.
Foxx wrote in the since-deleted message: “THEY KILLED THIS DUDE NAME JESUS… WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY’LL DO TO YOU???! #fakefriends #fakelove.”
While the post received thousands of likes, others thought that Foxx’s message promoted the idea that Jewish people bear “eternal responsibility” for the death of Jesus Christ, Newsweek reported, an idea that the American Jewish Committee said has long been a major source of antisemitism. The AJC said this claim, from verse Matthew 27:24-25, “has led to more Jewish suffering than any other passage in the Christian Bible.”
Aniston was one of the more prominent voices to jump in and denounce Foxx’s post for being antisemitic, after screenshots were shared suggesting she had liked his post, the Daily Mail reported.
“This really makes me sick,” Aniston wrote on Instagram Stories Saturday over a screenshot of Foxx’s post. “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. And I truly don’t tolerate HATE of any kind. Period.”
Aniston evidently thought she was doing the right thing in denouncing anti-semitism but she was accused of being premature in her condemnation of Foxx. He, meanwhile, deleted his controversial post and replaced it with an an apology to the Jewish community. He also clarified that he wasn’t referring to Jewish people when he wrote “they,” Newsweek reported.
“I want to apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post,” the Academy Award winner wrote. “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,” the “Ray” actor continued. “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.”
Foxx quickly received an outpouring of support for clarifying his statement, including from the Anti-Defamation League, whose CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Truly appreciate @iamjamiefoxx reaching out and confirming privately what he also said publicly. His message of love for the Jewish community is crucial in this time of rising hate. We are stronger together.”
Truly appreciate @iamjamiefoxx reaching out and confirming privately what he also said publicly. His message of love for the Jewish community is crucial in this time of rising hate. We are stronger together. https://t.co/91idgV9KPf
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) August 6, 2023
Supporters of Foxx also pounced on Aniston and others for swiftly concluding that the actor was being antisemitic, without understanding the cultural context of what he wrote.
“Religious Black people, especially from the south, say this ALL the time. It just means, the people who are closest to you are who will betray you, even if you are literally a perfect person like Jesus — that being a good person is no guarantee of receiving that same energy back,” someone wrote on Instagram in response to Foxx’s apology.
Retired basketball star Etan Thomas also said: “If Jennifer had any Black friends she would know that ‘They killed Jesus’ is a phrase used in the Black Community to mean if they did that to Jesus, they will talk bad about you, lie on you, betray you, meaning (people) not Jews.”
If Jennifer Aniston had any Black friends she would know that “They killed Jesus” is a phrase used in the Black Community to mean if they did that to Jesus, they will talk bad about you, lie on you, betray you etc meaning ppl not Jews smh https://t.co/OLU6Yy6pwt
— Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) August 5, 2023
Other celebrities, including model Winnie Harlow, comedian Jay Pharoah, rapper Waka Flocka and musician Chantae Vetrice, also voiced support for Foxx, saying they know he meant no offense, Newsweek reported.
“As a Black Jewish woman and a (woman) in entertainment, I accept the apology and I believe you didn’t mean any harm in what you said,” Vetrice said, Newsweek reported. “Unfortunately, antisemitism is on the rise and this is the state we are in. Continue BEING YOU. You’ve always been one of the best.”
People weren’t so understanding of Aniston, with Foxx’s supporters “flooding” her Instagram with comments before she turned them off, according to the account @OfficiallyTae. People accused Aniston of being “gaslit,” jumping to conclusions, indulging in “Hollywood fakery” and of “trying to get a Black man cancelled.”
— KingTae (@OfficiallyTae) August 6, 2023
Like Thomas, they also accused her of living in a world of white privilege, which is why she didn’t understand the context of his original statement.
A reminder that Jennifer Aniston and her stark lack of diversity in her personal social circles was at the heart of the problem here. pic.twitter.com/9dfcJX4XFy
— Tricia Cotham betrayed North Carolina (@Needle_of_Arya) August 6, 2023
So if I'm understanding this correctly Jennifer Aniston misinterpreted an Instagram post from Jamie Foxx, falsely accused him of antisemitism, and sicced her millions of followers on him because she doesn't understand AAVE? Sounds about white
— Tanesha, BSN RN Karen Kryptonite (@ERnurse86) August 6, 2023
But to provide further context for this whole Aniston/Foxx controversy, Newsweek and some of those who defended Foxx acknowledged that his original post hit a nerve because anti-semitic incidents are on the rise in the United States, as the ADL reported in March.
The rise in anti-semitic hate speech also gained notice after Kanye West went on a tirade in late 2022 and unleashed a series of anti-semitic comments on social media and in interviews. He notoriously wrote on Twitter in October 2022 that he was “going death con 3 on Jewish people.”
West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, faced immediate fallout, with the rapper and fashion designer seeing his net worth plummet and a host of major corporations distancing themselves from him.