Former Two and a half Men actor Charlie Sheen has claimed he has a Jewish mother, while disgraced fashion designer John Galliano is said to be obsessed with his “Jewish” roots.
Mr Sheen, who last week was accused of “borderline antisemitism” by the Anti-Defamation League following comments about his Jewish manager, said he was proud of his Jewish background.
He told Access Hollywood Live: "My mum is Jewish. Here’s where it gets confusing – we don’t know who her father was. But she is, in fact, Jewish. So, I guess that would make me Jewish, and my children Jewish.”
Adding that his ex-wife Brooke Mueller, who last week accused Mr Sheen of sending her an anti-Jewish text, was Jewish, he said: “I guess I should’ve rolled all that out too."
Mr Sheen’s mother is the actress Janet Templeton. His father is West Wing star Martin Sheen.
His claim of Jewish heritage comes after a period of increasingly shocking behaviour and allegations about drug and alcohol abuse.
Meanwhile a friend of Mr Galliano, who was sacked as chief designer for John Galliano after a video emerged online of him making Nazi slurs at a group of women, said the Catholic designer had “always been aware of the influence Jews have had on his life”.
The unnamed associate told the Daily Mail: “He always insisted he had Jewish blood from the Sephardi Jews who came from Spain and Portugal in the 19th century.
“Johnny is obsessed with the idea of being descended from Jews. He was particularly fascinated by the fact that couture in Paris was traditionally a Jewish industry.”