Zachary Levi has come under fire from members of the Broadway community after a bizarre online rant in which he uses his former co-star Gavin Creel s death to promote a conspiracy theory about COVID-19 vaccines.

In a video posted Monday to Instagram , the Shazam! actor said he believed Creel, with whom he co-starred in the 2016 revival of She Loves Me on Broadway, would still be alive if he hadnt gotten vaccinated against COVID-19.

I know that this is going to offend some people and make some people mad, and I wish it didnt, Levi said. So, a few weeks ago, my friend Gavin Creel died. He was 48 years old, and he was one of the healthiest people I knew.

After suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccines were forced on the American public despite known side effects including turbo cancers, he added : Without a shadow of a doubt, I believe that Gavin Creel would be alive right now right fucking now he would still be alive if that stuff didnt get put into his body.

Creel, beloved by theater fans for his performances in Hello, Dolly! and Into the Woods, among other musicals, died of a rare and aggressive form of cancer last month. The actors partner, Alex Temple Ward, told The New York Times in a statement that Creel had received the diagnosis in July.

Levis video drew a stern rebuke from Tony-winning actor Norbert Leo Butz, best known for portraying Fiyero in the original Broadway production of Wicked.