Iowa Official Speaks Out On Alleged Firing For Being Tupac Super Fan

Jeff Foxhoven made headlines when he was asked to resign a day after sending an email to employees that contained lyrics of late rapper Tupac Shakur. Many thought the two incidents were linked, but now, the former Iowa Department of Human Services Director is setting the record straight.

“I think it’s a coincidence,” Foxhoven told The New York Times.

"I always try to assume the best of everybody, and I can't imagine that [the governor] would base her decision on the Tupac incident," he expressed to NPR. "If this is the reason, I'm really disappointed."

Governor Kim Reynolds' spokesperson, Pat Garrett, would not confirm or deny whether Foxhoven's admiration of Tupac lead to the resignation but did state that "a lot of factors" contributed to it, with one of those reasons being that Reynolds "wanted to go in a new direction."

According to Iowa Public Radio, Foxhoven's resignation is just the beginning of many changes that the Iowa governor plans to enact. "She has spent the first part of this year assembling a new team, from top to bottom, to carry out her vision," Garrett explained. "More changes will be announced in the coming days and weeks ahead."

Foxhoven, who described himself as "a 66-year-old white guy from the Midwest who likes rap music, who likes Tupac," was forced to resign in June after being appointed to the position two years prior.

The Associated Press obtained 350 pages of emails that show that the former Iowa official frequently referenced Tupac during his tenure. So while the timing of Foxhoven being forced out seems highly skeptical, it likely wasn't the cause.