“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor BD Wong has apologized for racist comments (now deleted) he made on social media.
The 65-year-old “Jurassic Park” alum commented on a Dec. 1 Instagram video post by influencer Mike Halston, known online as “The Real Tarzan.” The video shows the animal sitting on top of Halston, who is black, and the caption reads, “Name this animal… only wrong answers.”
Wong commented on the post, writing, “Looks like a black man,” Variety and Entertainment Weekly reported.
USA TODAY has reached out to Halston and Wong for comment.
The Tony Award-winning actor later posted an apology on the thread, saying he accepted responsibility for how racist and awful his comments were.
“Guys, I made a very bad joke. I took it down for damage control, as most people do, but it’s there and continues to hurt and disappoint. I’m truly sorry for the hurtful parts,” he wrote. “Very stupidly, I tried to follow a ‘wrong answers only’ prompt with the most incorrect answer. This was only successful in that it was very wrong.”
Wong acknowledged that “no one gets a free pass” but said the comment could hurt the respect fans had for him. He thanked those who advocate for a “safe internet for everyone.”
“Let me expend my energy on how wrong it is to exploit a vile and racist metaphor in the spirit of humor. I know better, but again, there is no excuse,” he added. “I am very sorry for the hurt I caused and for downplaying something that hurt so deeply.”
Wong is known for his roles as Special Agent George Huang in “SVU” and Dr. Henry Wu in the “Jurassic” series. He also appeared in films such as “Father of the Bride” and “Mulan,” and dramas such as “Mr. Robot” and “Gotham.”
His acting career began with a role in the 1988 Broadway production of “M. Butterfly,” for which he won awards including a Tony Award.
After the production moved from South Korea to Broadway in August last year, Deadline reported that he wrote an open letter condemning the production’s decision to cast white actor Andrew Barth Feldman in “Maybe Happy Ending.” The role was originally played by Glee actor Darren Criss, who is of Filipino descent.
“Simply put, Asian actors and the Asian theater community are in a heated battle over the casting of a non-Asian actor to replace the Asian male lead in the Broadway musical ‘Maybe Happy Endings.’ Please Google responsibly,” the letter said. “This is a real and eternal protest against race and representation, not some irrational rant against robots.”
