Noted anti-vaxxer Zachary Levi‘s new conspiracy theory has further alienated his friends and fans in the Broadway community.
Following Gavin Creel‘s death at age 48 last month, Levi implied in a bizarre pro-Trump rant on Instagram Live that the Tony-winning actor died because of the COVID vaccine, drawing ire from those Creel’s fans and loved ones.
“I know that this is going to offend some people and make some people mad, and I wish it didn’t,” prefaced Levi. “So, a few weeks ago, my friend Gavin Creel died. He was 48 years old, and he was one of the healthiest people I knew.”
Although Creel died of a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma, which Levi called a “turbo cancer” that “came out of nowhere” before he speculated, “You better believe that, with everything in me, I believe that if these COVID vaccinations were not forced on the American public, that the theaters weren’t being pushed and leveraged —”
Levi paused before explaining that the theater owners and producers weren’t to blame, but he holds “people at the top” responsible.
The American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute have both denounced theories that the COVID vaccine causes cancer.
Wicked alum Jenna Leigh Green wrote in the comments section, “Gavin deserved better. What has happened to you to have flown so far from decency and sanity? It’s just so sad.”
“So incredibly disappointed you would politicize Gavin’s death,” wrote 2x Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz. “Really tried to give you the benefit here. Made it halfway through, which was hard as hell. But was utterly heartbroken, as he would have been, that you felt the need to use his life and legacy to promote this awful platform.”
“Total POS,” Bobby Cronin commented. “Stop using Gavin’s death for attention.”
Referencing the 2016 Broadway revival that starred both Levi and Creel, Ellyn Marsh wrote, “You were the worst part of She Loves Me.”
Photographer Evan Zimmerman recalled, “Photographing you in She Loves Me, I just remember you chain smoking outside the stage door. Your poor cast had to deal not only with you but your stench.”
Broadway publicist Lisa Goldberg also laid into Levi on X. “I’m going to post it bc it seems no one else is willing to comment on this… who do you think you are talking about Gavin Creel like this? To say Gavin (or anyone) got stage 4 cancer and died bc of a vaccine?” she wrote. “The absolute disrespect to Gavin’s memory, his friends & family, to science, to medicine, to all of the people struggling w/ diseases including cancer past & present, to all of the people grieving Gavin’s loss, or others grieving losses from all of the people who died from Covid before that vaccine was available??!
Goldberg added, “Are you kidding me with this absolute garbage?! Go peddle your ignorance elsewhere – it’s disgusting. DISGUSTING.”
Levi previously endorsed Donald Trump at a rally last month after his first pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the presidential election.
