MJF Addresses Antisemitism He's Encountered

MJF might give the impression of reveling in his heel status, but the new AEW World Champion draws a distinctive difference between the good-natured booing aimed at wrestling bad boys and genuine intolerance from hateful individuals. In an interview with Vulture, MJF acknowledged that being Jewish in his profession has created uncomfortable situations involving hate speech and vandalism.

"When you're traveling as a professional wrestler and an athlete and you go to these small towns, you'll hear people scream out 'kike,'" he said. "You'll have wrestlers key your cars and think it's funny to draw a Nazi symbol on your bags."

MJF acknowledged that he initially did not want to bring these issues to the attention of the public or the wrestling promotions.

"It wasn't cool for me to talk about it," he continued, stating that he would face dismissive comments from doubters because he is seen as a "a rich white guy."

"I'm not white to a Klansman," he added. "I'm not white to an anti-Semite."

During the course of this year, MJF has been more vocal in calling out anti-Semitism. In February, he stepped out of his AEW persona for a sincere recollection of the anti-Semitic bullying he experienced as a child. Last week, MJF blasted Kanye West and Kyrie Irving for anti-Semitic advocacy in an interview on Barstool's "Pardon My Take," stating "I think Kyrie and Kanye are... interesting. I think their beliefs are interesting, and by 'interesting,' I mean f***ed up, and if anybody condones it, I think you're a f***ing loser."