Zachary Levi is aware he’s ruffled some feathers by making controversial comments over the years.
In a new interview with Variety that was published on Thursday, May 22, the actor opened up about the professional fallout he’s experienced after publicly expressing his thoughts on topics such as President Trump and COVID-19 vaccines.
“I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know,” Levi, 44, told the outlet.
He added: “They haven’t given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it’s unfortunate. I knew that was probably going to happen. I didn’t make this decision blindly or casually.”
Last year, Levi’s former Broadway costar, Laura Benanti, expressed her dislike of the actor during an episode of “That’s a Gay Ass Podcast.”
“I never liked him,” Benanti, 45, said while appearing on the podcast in December 2024.
She recalled, “‘Everyone was like, ‘He’s so great!’ And I was like, ‘No, he’s not.’ He’s sucking up all the f***ing energy in this room.”
Benanti further claimed that Levi wanted to “mansplain everybody’s part to them” while they were members of the same cast.
Zachary Levi. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/WireImage)
The actress alleged Levi tried to get their She Loves Me castmates to have dance parties before each show, which she never enjoyed. (Benanti played Amalia Balash in the 2016 production while Levi portrayed Georg Nowach.)
“He really sucked everybody in with his, like, dance party energy. Like, ‘We’re doing a dance party at half-hour,’” Benanti remembered. “I was like, ‘Good luck. Have fun.’”
Benati also took issue with Levi’s comments about the death of their late She Loves Me costar Gavin Creel.
In September 2024, Levi made headlines when he claimed Creel’s death was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.
“To use his memory for his political agenda and to watch him try to make himself cry until he had one single tear, which he did not wipe away, I was like, ‘F*** you forever,’” Benanti during the podcast as she referenced Levi’s comments about Creel.
Us Weekly confirmed in September 2024 that Creel died at the age of 48. The Tony Award winner’s cause of death was metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma. Creel was diagnosed with the very rare form of cancer in July, a mere two months prior to his passing.
