Former Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star BD Wong faced backlash on social media and has since apologized for making an offensive and “very bad joke” comparing a Black man to an animal.
What was the offensive remark Wong wrote on social media?
According to Black Enterprise, Wong’s controversial remark stemmed from his reply to a popular wildlife account, @therealtarzann, run by animal educator Mike Holston. In the post, Holston, who is Black, asked his followers to “Name this animal… wrong answers only.” Wong responded, “It appears to be a Black man.”
The Hollywood actor’s response garnered a slew of screenshots and responses, with many Instagram followers calling his remark racist and demeaning to Black people.
On Monday, the 65-year-old took to Threads and apologized for the “racist comment” he made and said he has “accepted the responsibility” for the backlash he received on social media from it.
Wong’s two apology attempts explained
“I want to elaborate re a racist comment I posted, to clarify that I recognize & accept the responsibility for how terrible it is. It’s also wrong to try to “explain” anything, & I think that causes a further breaking down in folks’ trust,” Wong said in his post on the platform.
He continued, “Let me please spend the energy on how wrong I know it is to exploit a despicable, racist trope in the supposed spirit of humor; I do know better, but again no excuses. Very sorry for the hurt I’ve caused & for taking lightly something so deeply injurious.”
This is Wong’s second attempt at apologizing for what he said. His initial apology came earlier on Monday, with many Threads users pointing out that he had made controversial statements on the platform before.
“Y’all I made a very bad joke. As most people in hot water do, I deleted it for Damage Control but it’s out there & continues to hurt & disappoint & I’m really sorry about the hurt part,” Wong wrote. “Super dumb, but I tried to follow the ‘Wrong Answers Only’ prompt w/the wrongest answer.”
“This succeeded only in that it was Super Wrong. I know nobody gets a free pass. I’m sorry if this #wtfbd moment tarnished any respect you may’ve had for me. & thanks if you advocate for an internet that’s safe for everybody,” he added.
Wong’s acting history and his most recent act championing representation
Wong has Broadway and television credits, including M. Butterfly, his beloved role as FBI psychiatrist Dr. George Huang on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and stints on All-American Girl, The X-Files, Oz, and Sesame Street. Throughout his career, he has also spoken out against racism and discrimination and championed for more representation in the industry.
In August, he wrote an open letter calling to replace Andrew Barth Feldman with an Asian actor in the hit Broadway show Maybe Happy Ending. Feldman was tapped to replace Darren Criss, who is the first Asian American actor to win a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in the show, Blavity reported.