Maybe Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is a Biggie fan.

Twitter lit up on Tuesday when the Associated Press revealed that Iowa Department of Human Services Director and Tupac superfan Jerry Foxhoven was forced to resign days after sending out a department-wide email commemorating Tupac's birthday.

The governor's office has refused to say whether Foxhoven was fired for that specific email, but the AP discovered hundreds — nearly 350 — of pages of emails from Foxhoven about his love for Tupac and his lyrics. 

In the post that allegedly got him axed, Foxhoven reminds his 4,300 staff members that Tupac's birthday falls on Father's Day and that he would be celebrating both.

“As the governor has said, a lot of factors contributed to the resignation of Jerry Foxhoven and now Gov. Reynolds is looking forward to taking DHS in a new direction,” spokesperson Pat Garrett told the AP.


AP reporter Ryan J. Foley secured the emails referencing Tupac through Iowa’s open records law. 

Foxhoven was well known — and beloved by his coworkers — for his deep, profound love of the legendary rapper. The 66-year-old brought Tupac-themed cookies for his own birthday, held "Tupac Friday" events where he would play the rapper's music in his office and often sent inspirational Tupac quotes to people in the department.

The AP says Foxhoven always commemorated the rapper's death day and often celebrated various holidays throughout the year with Tupac lyrics. Some within the office even said he tried to reshape the department's image with Tupac in mind.

According to news reports, most employees enjoyed Foxhoven's strange obsession with Tupac. But one department official allegedly leaked one of Foxhoven's Tupac emails to the state's Republican lawmakers. 

Foxhoven spent decades as a Drake University law professor and was initially brought in to save the moribund agency, which was in the middle of a number of scandals involving disabled children who died in state custody and abuse claims from boys in a state-run group home.

After appointing Foxhoven as director of Iowa's DHS in 2017, Governor Reynolds asked for his resignation on June 17, just days after he sent his last Tupac appreciation email. 

"I hope you all enjoy the day as well — and take time to enjoy one of his songs. (Hard to believe he has been gone for almost 23 years)," he wrote to the entire department in his last email.

"Here is an inspirational quote by him: 'Pay no mind to those who talk behind your back, it simply means you are 2 steps ahead.'"

Jerry-FoxhovenKim-ReynoldsTupac-Shakur