Former Love Connection host Chuck Woolery was criticized after tweeting about what he saw as the Jewish historical roots of Communism. Image by Getty

Chuck Woolery, the former host of the game show Love Connection, made waves on Monday when he shared his thoughts on Twitter about the supposed Jewish roots of Communism:

Believe it or not. Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin were both Jewish. I was shocked to find, most of the original Soviet Communists were Jewish

— Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) May 29, 2017

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

(Lenin was not Jewish. Tying Judaism to Communism was a common 20th-century anti-Semitic trope and was used by the Nazi Party).

Woolery, a self-described “Hollywood Conservative,” has previously likened modern progressivism and socialism to Nazism. Woolery was immediately bombarded with accusations of anti-Semitism, a charge he denied.

Amazing to me, I point out that Marx and Lenin were Jewish, Fact of history, and now I’m being called anti Semitic? why do people do this?

— Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) May 30, 2017

Many responses pointed out that Woolery’s observation was approvingly retweeted by David Duke and Richard Spencer, among other notable white supremacists.

Woolery, who currently hosts a podcast called Blunt Force Truth, has said in the past that his conservative views have made him a pariah in Hollywood circles.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount