Benza cited a source close to the actor to make his claim, saying that Foxx was allegedly left “partially paralyzed and blind” due to complications after taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Benza went on to claim that the actor was forced to get the vaccine for a film he was working on, and that the injection led to a blood clot, ultimately resulting in a stroke.
Benza did not name his source, and Pinsky did not challenge his claim. This claim comes nearly a month after Foxx’s daughter Corinne posted to her Instagram that he’d been home for weeks and even felt well enough to play pickleball.
The aforementioned rumor (unsurprisingly) started picking up steam in anti-vaxxer circles online, going on to be acknowledged by right-wing personalities like Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens, who suggested the claim must be true because Foxx’s family didn’t condemn it.
Pinksy did respond, however, talking to NBC News about the interview via email, saying he invited Benza on because the journalist said he had information about Foxx.
“The statements from A.J. were based on his own confidential sources, so I can’t speculate further than what he said on the show,” Pinsky wrote. “I sincerely hope that AJ’s sources are wrong and Mr. Foxx will make a full recovery. There is no evidence and I have no reason to believe that his medical condition is directly related to vaccine therapy or a post-COVID phenomenon. Any evidence of either would have to come from his physicians.”
Foxx’s representatives went on to say in an email that Benza’s claim is “completely inaccurate.”
