FACT CHECK: Did Jodie Foster Say That Attacking The Rich Is ‘Self-Defense’?
An image shared on Facebook claimed that Oscar-winning actress and director Jodie Foster said, “Attacking the rich is not envy, it is self defense. The hoarding of wealth is the cause of poverty. The rich aren’t just indifferent to poverty; they create it and maintain it.”
Verdict: False
There is no indication that Foster ever said this quote.
Fact Check:
This meme suggests that Foster does not live by her own political philosophy, first attributing the quote to her, then pointing out that she herself is well off. Beneath the quote, the image claims that she has a net worth of $100 million, though The Daily Caller could not independently verify whether this figure is accurate or not.
Nonetheless, the Caller found no proof that Foster ever said this – to reporters, on camera or anywhere else.
The meme does not provide a source or date for the remark, but it has been circulating on social media for years, at times with no attribution to Foster.
Foster does occasionally wade into politics – she has protested against President Donald Trump and directed an ad for the 2018 midterm elections, backed by Independence USA, a PAC funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“I have a thousand opinions, and I certainly give money and do a lot of things behind the scenes,” Foster said in a 2018 interview with IndieWire, “but it’s not my personality to believe that celebrities have the expertise to try to influence other people’s ideas or their feelings, politically.”
