All the celebrities defending Louis Farrakhan’s anti-semitism
Anti-semitism is nothing new in Hollywood unfortunately. Dating back to the early days of movie production, Jewish people in Hollywood were often ostracized and treated like scum, even though many were at the top of the ranks in the business. While it’s not in the form of discriminatory comments and letters, anti-semitism exists in reading between the lines.
For example, a large part of Hollywood as of late has come to praise Louis Farrakhan. Once known as Louis X, Farrakhan is the current leader of the Nation of Islam, a religious group focused on black issues at its core. But with this comes what some claim as “black nationaist” belief, even borderline black supremacy.
So when the Black Lives Matter movement picked up speed again after George Floyd’s death, there were a handful of celebrities quoting Farrakhan and praising his work in the fight for civil rights. But what these celebrities fail to realize is the full length of their comments.
Louis Farrakhan: A brief overview
If you have never heard of Farakhan nor his views, it may seem confusing that a man leading a black movement is accused of anti-semitism. But that’s a big part of what the Nation of Islam stands for as well.
They believe that black people are the “true Hebrews”, and therefore the “true Jewish people”, completely erasing those who also identify as Jewish. On numerous occasions, Farrakhan has been accused of referring to the Jewish people as “wicked”, the reason homosexuality and other LGBTQ+ sexualities are so rampant, and they often blame Jews specifically for the African slave trade.
The NOI is also homophobic, but that’s a can of worms for another time. Specifically, the reason people are calling out celebrities for their ties to Farrakhan are because of his ties to anti-semitic comments in the past. So who exactly has gotten the wrath of the Internet for this?
Nick Cannon
Probably the most recent celeb to come under fire for anti-semitic remarks was the Wet N’ Wild star after he promoted anti-semitic conspiracy theories on his podcast. Specifically the two that NOI also believe in, the black people are true Hebrews and the true Jewish people theory. He also compared the Illuminati’s control to Zionist control.
Naturally, he was fired from ViacomCBS for his comments. But he also hosts Fox’s The Masked Singer, and Fox has yet to comment on the scandal. Cannon claimed that he tried to reach out and apologize to Viacom, but was met with no response, so there may also be more to his firing than we know.
DeSean Jackson
The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver was thrown into hot water when he posted fake Hitler quotes on Instagram relating to the Jewish people, as well as praising Farrakhan in the caption of the post. Initially, former NBA star Stephen Jackson spoke up defending Jackson.
Jackson did eventually apologize for his post, and promise to donate money to Jewish charities. He was fined by the NFL for his conduct, and even agreed to a trip to Auschwitz from a Holocaust survivor.
Chelsea Handler
Considering Handler was raised in Judaism, it’s shocking to think that she would support a man bashing Jewish people. Yet the comedian posted a clip to Instagram of Farrakhan on The Phil Donahue Show as he was discussing racial prejudice. Several other celebrities shared the clip as well, including Jennifer Anniston, Jessica Chastain, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Handler deleted the clip two days later with no comment, as she had gotten flack for the post in the comments. She also defended Farrakhan’s anti-semitism in the caption of the post, saying “Another thing: perhaps Farrakhan’s anti-Semitic views took form during his own oppression.” Handler later issued an apology, saying she wasn’t thinking when sharing the clip.
Ice Cube
The rapper has shared several anti-semetic memes as of late, but that’s far from the first incident of anti-semitism from Ice Cube. In fact, his conspiracy theories and memes he was pushing on Twitter at the beginning of this month were just the tip of the ice burgh for some.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a scalding op-ed piece about the lack of outrage in the sports and entertainment industries relating to the incidents by Ice Cube and Desean Jackson. But Ice Cube fired back, saying Abdul-Jabbar took “30 pieces of silver to cut us all down without even a phone call.” Ice Cube has still not apologized for his comments.
Allen Iverson
The Philadelphia 76ers player shared a photo to Instagram excited to meet Farrakhan, so immediately people were accusing Iverson of being anti-semetic. The photo, taken three years prior, was just of Iverson and Farrakhan meeting.
Iverson later responded, saying the photo “wasn’t meant to offend anyone”, and that he is far from anti-semetic and homophobic. “I respect Louis Farrakhan’s strong voice on behalf of Black people and his impact on the Black community,” Iverson said. “I also acknowledge that he is viewed as a controversial figure and I am aware that he has made remarks and comments that are different from my own views and beliefs.”
