Laura Benanti to Zachary Levi: “F— you forever” for COVID vaccine comments on Broadway star’s death

All of Broadway mourned when Tony-winning actor Gavin Creel died.

His many co-stars, including New Jersey’s Bette Midler and Laura Benanti, shared their memories on social media.

But one of them, actor Zachary Levi, used the actor’s loss to make a false claim.

Levi suggested that a COVID-19 vaccine caused Creel’s death.

Creel, 48, died in September after being diagnosed with cancer in July – metastatic melanotic sarcoma of the peripheral nerve sheath.

“I know this will offend and make some people angry, and I wish it wasn’t,” Levi said in an Instagram Live video in October, per Deadline. “A few weeks ago my friend Gavin Creel died. He was 48 years old and one of the healthiest people I knew.”

READ MORE: A “shattered” Broadway mourns the loss of Tony winner Gavin Creel. “Into the Woods,” “Waitress” star was 48.

“You better believe that I believe in my heart and soul that if these COVID vaccinations weren’t forced on the American public,” said Levi, 44, “that the movie theaters wouldn’t be pushed and taken advantage of…”

Benanti, who starred with both Creel and Levi in ​​the 2016 Broadway musical “She Loves Me,” criticized Levi for his comments in a recent interview with Eric Williams on “That’s a Gay Ass Podcast” (see below).

“Using his (Creel’s) memory for his political agenda and watching him try to make himself cry until he had a single tear that he wouldn’t wipe away, I thought, ‘F— you forever.’ ” she said.

Levi, who rose to fame on the NBC series “Chuck,” later starred in the DC series “Shazam!” Movies. In the 2024 presidential election, he supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then Donald Trump.

Benanti, a Tony winner who grew up in Kinnelon and lives in Essex County – her recent TV and film credits include “Elsbeth,” “Goodrich,” “No Hard Feelings” and “The Gilded Age” – was cast alongside Levi “She loves me.”

READ MORE: New Jersey’s Laura Benanti on “No Hard Feelings,” “The Gilded Age” and the Melania impression that made her leave NY

“I never liked him,” said Benanti, 45, who is also known for her scary Melania Trump impressions on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

“Everyone said, ‘He’s so great,’ and I said, ‘No, he’s not.’ He’s soaking up all the damn energy in this room. He wants to explain to them the role of each individual.’”

“He really captivated everyone with his dance party energy,” she said. “For example: ‘We’re having a dance party on the half hour.’ I just thought, ‘Good luck, have fun’.”