Many in the entertainment world are dropping the platform
Kanye West's descent into extreme anti-Semitism began on October 8, 2022, when he tweeted that he was going to go "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE."
NBA superstar Kyrie Irving was suspended from the Brooklyn Nets for five games after he shared the link to a deeply anti-Semitic film on social media. He refused to apologize or acknowledge the anti-Semitic content in the film when given the chance, although he did finally offer an apology following the announcement of the suspension.
During the height of his addiction, Charlie Sheen's relationship with powerful Hollywood producer Chuck Lorre fell apart. Lorre, who happens to be Jewish, was the producer of 'Two and a Half Men,' a show which made Sheen one of the most highly-paid men on TV despite his rampant drug and alcohol abuse. As his dysfunctional behavior on set was coming to a boiling point, he began to lash out at Chuck Lorre, referring to him as "Chaim Levine" in a derogatory manner. When Lorre fired Sheen and cut the show before the end of the season, Sheen ranted about him on talk shows calling him a "contaminated little maggot."
Halle Berry came under fire in 2007 after making an offensive comment on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.' The incident occurred during a segment in which Berry was shown a series of photos of herself that had been altered for comic effect. In reference to one photo that made her nose look larger, she commented that it made her look like her "Jewish cousin." She quickly realized that her words were insensitive and asked for them to be edited out, but audience members at the live recording spilled the beans.
Mel Gibson famously went on an alcohol-fueled anti-Semitic rant in 2006 when he was pulled over for driving under the influence. The horrific tirade included comments like "the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson also demanded to know if one of the arresting officers was Jewish.
Former President Donald Trump has made a number of egregious comments about the Jewish people, before, during, and after his presidency. Decades ago, he was quoted by a journalist as saying, “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.” More recently, his comments have been slightly less direct in their anti-Semitism. However, he often takes it upon himself to chide the Jewish community in the US.
Director Oliver Stone made a series of offensive remarks in an interview with The Sunday Times in 2010. He claimed that Hitler was a scapegoat and that he had in fact done much more damage to Russians than to Jewish people during World War II. When asked why this wasn't common knowledge, Stone answered, "The Jewish domination of the media."
In 2011, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange allegedly accused a number of journalists and media outlets in the UK of being part of a "Jewish conspiracy" to take down WikiLeaks. The comments were reportedly made during a phone call to editor Ian Hislop, although Assange later claimed that he never made such comments.
There are many historical accounts that suggest famed fashion designer Coco Chanel embraced the rise of anti-Semitism as Hitler came to power and even acted as an informant for the Nazis, after starting a romantic relationship with a high-ranking Nazi intelligence officer.
It's also a fact that he welcomed Nazi propaganda filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl to his studio in 1938, shortly after Kristallnacht had made headlines around the world. Riefenstahl had released the notorious propaganda film 'Triumph of the Will' about Adolf Hitler a few years earlier.
Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, was an active anti-Semite. In fact, it's believed that Ford was an inspiration to Hitler, as they were both starting to disseminate their writings on the "Jewish question" in the 1920s. He is the only American person that Hitler compliments by name in 'Mein Kampf.'
In 2020, rapper Ice Cube was called out for a series of cryptic tweets in which he shared symbols associated with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. The conspiracies relate to Jewish world domination. Ice Cube has also used anti-Semitic lyrics in his music in the past and allegedly once got into a fistfight with a rabbi in 2015.
Swedish YouTuber PewDiePie was one of the most popular and well-paid internet personalities in the world. Unfortunately, he used his platform to share a series of comedy sketches satirizing Nazism and anti-Semitism. They included clips of the YouTuber doing the Nazi salute and holding up a sign that read "Death to all Jews." While he claimed that it was all in the name of humor, critics argued that he was helping to normalize these ideologies by making light of them. He was dropped by several partners and issued a public apology.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has repeatedly made a number of offensive remarks about the Jewish community. She touts a number of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and frequently compared COVID-19 lockdown security measures to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.
Multiple alarming photos of TV personality Jesse James surfaced shortly before his marriage to Sandra Bullock in which he is giving a "Heil, Hitler" salute while wearing a Nazi officer's hat. James denied any actual neo-Nazi leanings and claimed to be doing it for the shock value.
Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the Labour Party in the UK up until 2020, and was seen as a balm to the conservative right-wing government led by Boris Johnson. Unfortunately, he fell from grace when an investigation revealed that he didn't properly handle complaints of anti-Semitism while in charge. He allegedly dismissed them, interfered in the correct handling of such complaints, and failed to provide training on such issues. He was removed as head of the Labour Party and still failed to acknowledge and apologize for his actions.
NFL star DeSean Jackson is another public figure who follows the Jewish world domination school of thought. In 2020, he posted a series of tweets sharing conspiracy theories about the Jewish plan to “extort America" and take over the world. He even shared a quote which he incorrectly attributed to Hitler.
The famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh held a number of troubling views, which he often spoke and wrote about. He was concerned with the vitality of "racial strength" in the US, and the "infiltration of inferior blood." In regards to Nazism and World War II, he commented that, "Instead of agitating for war, Jews in this country should be opposing it in every way, for they will be the first to feel its consequences. Their greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government."
Sources: (The Hollywood Reporter) (Newsweek) (Forbes) (MSNBC) (History) (Ranker)
See also: Jewish-American icons who changed the world for the better
The famous American poet T. S. Eliot frequently cast anti-Semitic portrayals of Jewish people in his work. During a lecture in 1933, he said, "What is still more important [than cultural homogeneity] is unity of religious background, and reasons of race and religion combine to make any large number of free-thinking Jews undesirable."
John Galliano was one of the most successful fashion designers in the world, working as creative director for Dior for a decade. However, in 2010, he was caught on video berating a group of women with a drunken anti-Semitic tirade. A video of him declaring "I love Hitler" in a bar also surfaced around that time, and he was fired from his position at Dior.
West had his social media accounts banned on multiple platforms, was dropped by his talent agency and record label, and lost most of his brand deals. Most significant was his deal with Adidas, the loss of which means he is no longer a billionaire. Ironically, West had bragged about his success and power on a podcast a week earlier, saying, "I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”
The 2006 incident was not the first time Gibson was reported to have expressed anti-Semitic views. It's alleged that he asked Winona Ryder, who is Jewish, if she was an "oven dodger" when they met in 1996.
In October 2022, he shared some thoughts on his social media platform Truth Social. "No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the US." He continued, "US Jews have to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel—Before it is too late!"
Ford used his position of power and respect in American society to spread conspiracy theories about Jewish people, blaming them for all the ills of the world. One of his main concerns was that they intended to destroy Christianity and the Anglo-Saxon way of life. His essays on the Jews were eventually gathered into a book entitled 'The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem.'
In a rambling 2018 Facebook post, Greene purported that the devastating California wildfires could have been caused by lasers from space operated by Jewish-run companies.
In a time when Elon Musk promises freedom of speech on Twitter and even unsuspended Donald Trump's account, West was served a 12-hour ban for posting an image of a swastika inside a Star of David. The incredibly offensive post came shortly after a disastrous interview on 'InfoWars,' a show notorious for spreading far-right conspiracy theories and fake news. He made comments like 'I like Hitler' and expressed pro-Nazi views that shocked even Alex Jones. “We got to stop dissing the Nazis all the time,” he said, going on to claim that zionists are possessed by Satan. Later in the interview, he claimed that his love extends to all; “I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.” He accused the "Jewish media" of censoring him, along with a host of other offensive theories and comments in his hour-long anti-Semitic rant.
Whoopi Goldberg was suspended from her position as host of 'The View' for two weeks following offensive comments she made about the Holocaust in January 2022. The actress claimed that the Holocaust was "not about race" and was rather "about man's inhumanity to man." She faced instant backlash for her uneducated take on Nazism and the Jewish people as an ethnoreligious group. Goldberg offered a sincere apology and committed to learning more on the subject.
However, she found herself in hot water once again after revisiting the topic in a December 26 interview with The Sunday Times. Goldberg repeated her former blunder by denying the status of Jewish people as a race. The interviewer pointed out that the Nazis certainly considered them to be a race, one which they intended to wipe out. "But it doesn't change the fact that you could not tell a Jew on a street," Goldberg responded. "You could find me. You couldn't find them. That was the point I was making."
CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan Greenblatt denounced her remarks, calling them "deeply offensive." In statement to The Wrap, he said, "In a moment when antisemitic incidents have surged across the US, she should realize that making such ignorant statements can have real consequences."
Ye had a bizarre epiphany in March 2023 while watching a 2012 comedy film that allegedly made him a new man. He shared on Instagram: “Watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump street made me like Jewish people again,” alongside a poster for the film. "No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people." He continued, "No Christian can be labeled antisemite knowing Jesus is Jew. Thank you Jonah Hill I love you." Hill did not respond publicly to the comments.
Beloved actor Jamie Foxx has come under fire for a cryptic post he wrote on Instagram on August 4, 2023. "They killed this dude name Jesus … What do you think they’ll do to you???! #fakefriends #fakelove,” read the now-deleted post. Foxx only recently resurfaced after a mysterious illness that saw him hospitalized in April and many fans were confounded by his words.
Following the swift backlash and accusations of anti-Semitism, Foxx deleted the post and tried to clarify his comments the following day. "I want to apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post. I now know my choice of words have caused offense and I’m sorry. That was never my intent," he wrote in a new post. “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."
Most recently, Elon Musk has used his massive public platform to express his support of an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. He responded to a user on X (formerly Twitter) who had posted about how Jews hated white people, writing "You have said the actual truth.” Those six powerful words sparked instant backlash from Jewish leaders and IBM announced it was pulling its advertising from X the following day. Musk has made a habit of embracing anti-Semitic theories in recent years, and his refusal to try to reduce extremism on his social media platform has put him at odds with many Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League. Musk has more followers than any other user on X, around 197 million, so the impact of his words is far-reaching. “We should expect to see more hate crimes and rallying around this type of discourse because of his amplification,” said Matthew Hughey, a sociology professor at the University of Connecticut who has studied white supremacy.
Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest forms of hate in human history. Discrimination against the Jewish people is most often associated with World War II and the Holocaust, but the ideologies at the center of Nazism can be traced back centuries. This deep-rooted prejudice in society is still prevalent today, even in a time when any form of bigotry is supposedly unacceptable. This has become more clear in recent years with the rise of the far right and various conspiracy theories involving an international Jewish plot to dominate the world. These shocking views have been shared by a surprising number of public figures from the past and present.
Click through the gallery for a rundown of the most famous faces to be accused of anti-Semitism, from Oscar-winning actors to powerful politicians.
Famous figures accused of anti-Semitism
Elon Musk came under fire again for comments on X
CELEBRITY Bigotry
Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest forms of hate in human history. Discrimination against the Jewish people is most often associated with World War II and the Holocaust, but the ideologies at the center of Nazism can be traced back centuries. This deep-rooted prejudice in society is still prevalent today, even in a time when any form of bigotry is supposedly unacceptable. This has become more clear in recent years with the rise of the far right and various conspiracy theories involving an international Jewish plot to dominate the world. These shocking views have been shared by a surprising number of public figures from the past and present.
Click through the gallery for a rundown of the most famous faces to be accused of anti-Semitism, from Oscar-winning actors to powerful politicians.