Jamie Foxx has been forced to speak out after he was accused of sharing an 'anti-Semitic' post on social media.
The actor, 55, has said it was never his intention to offend his fans with the controversial comments. Jamie was criticised after he took to Instagram to share a quote which read: "They killed this dude named Jesus … What do you think they’ll do to you?!"
Some of his followers quickly labelled the post as 'anti-Semitic', including Jennifer Aniston who spoke out after "liking" the post. She said it made her "really sick" and apologised to fans for the comments showing up in their feeds.
Jamie has now apologised for the post and explained his comments. He wrote: "I want to apologise to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post."
The They Cloned Tyrone star continued: "I now know my choice of words have caused offense and I am 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."
Taylor Swift seen looking cosy with Matty Healy's mum Denise Welch months agoJamie concluded his post by saying: "I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apologies to anyone who was offended. Nothing but love always."
The original post was taken down shortly after Jamie posted it on Friday. Critics had shared their thoughts on the post on Twitter.
One person wrote: "I am a Jewish advocate who fights antisemitism. Jamie Foxx’s post was a horrifically anti-semitic message rooted in classic blood libel and anti Jewish conspiracy theory."
However, the actor has now been fiercely defended by fans following his apology. One person said: "I'm Jewish and it never crossed my mind once."
Another added: "I am Jewish and I thought it was one helluva leap to call it anti-semitic. I knew exactly what you meant. Everybody needs to chill," while a third fan commented: "The post said nothing about Jewish people."
Jamie's close friend and film producer Mark Birnbaum also defended the Hollywood star. Taking to Instagram, he wrote: "As a close friend for 20 years @iamjamiefoxx is the most inclusive non antisemetic person out there.
"He's got nothing but love for everyone, including us Jews. Let's move onto the next nonsensical story of the day."