Sharing your humor on social media can be a dangerous game, as BD Wong is discovering. The Law & Order: SVU star initially responded to a post by content creator Mike Holston, who is Black.
Mike made a post asking followers to name that animal, only accepting correct answers. In the video on the post, Mike is petting a binturong. In a now-deleted reply, BD said it appeared to be “a Black man.” That comment obviously was not well received.
BD admits that he made “a very bad joke.” He says that it was an ignorant move on his part to reply with such an offensive comment.
BD Wong is “really sorry about the hurt” caused
Amid the backlash surrounding him for his insensitive joke, BD is expressing remorse for his actions. On the Instagram analogue Threads, he acknowledges his comment, saying, “it’s out there & continues to hurt & disappoint & I’m really sorry about the hurt part.” He confesses that it was dumb of him to make that response. He says that he was simply trying to follow the prompt by giving the most wrong answer possible.
BD wrote a follow-up post to his apology, reiterating that he takes full responsibility for his regrettable actions. He again apologized for the hurt his initial response caused.
Being on the receiving end of racist criticism is brand new territory for the actor. Normally, he’s on the opposite end, advocating for that issue. In August, BD, who is of Chinese descent, penned an open letter criticizing the casting of white actor Andrew Barth Feldman in the musical Maybe Happy Ending. Darren Criss, of Filipino descent, originated that show.
BD was a part of the TV series Mr. Robot starring Rami Malek. In September the Academy Award-winning actor shared of a time when he inadvertently made a kid cry. The child mistook him for singer Bruno Mars.
Currently, BD is in the show Gremlins, voicing the character of Hon Wing. The second season of that series concluded in April.
TELL US – IS BD’S APOLOGY SUFFICIENT, OR DOES HE NEED TO DO MORE?
