Former "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star BD Wong has issued a public apology after posting a comment on social media that he described as a "despicable, racist trope." The incident occurred earlier this week and involved a since-deleted response to an Instagram post.
The Offensive Comment and Immediate Fallout
The controversy began on Monday when animal enthusiast Mike Holston, known online as "therealtarzann," shared a video of himself with an exotic bearcat. Holston prompted his followers with a playful challenge: "Name this animal... wrong answers only." In the replies, BD Wong reportedly wrote, "It appears to be a Black man."
This comment invoked a long-standing and deeply harmful racist rhetoric used to dehumanize Black people. Wong initially deleted the comment, an action he later admitted was an attempt at damage control that failed to address the core issue.
A Lengthy Apology on Threads
Hours after the incident, the "Jurassic Park" actor took to Meta's Threads platform to post a lengthy, two-part apology. He acknowledged that deleting the remark was a move to avoid accountability and called his attempt at humor "super wrong."
"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 in his first post.
He explained that he was trying to follow the "Wrong Answers Only" prompt with what he thought was the "wrongest answer," but succeeded only in being "Super Wrong." He expressed regret for tarnishing the respect of his followers and thanked those advocating for a safer internet.
Taking Full Responsibility for a Harmful Trope
In a follow-up post, Wong elaborated further, emphasizing his recognition and acceptance of responsibility. "I want to elaborate on a racist comment I posted, to clarify that I recognize & accept the responsibility for how terrible it is," he stated.
He explicitly noted that trying to explain the comment away would only break down trust further. Instead, he focused his energy on condemning his own actions: "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."
Wong concluded his apology by stating, "Very sorry for the hurt I've caused & for taking lightly something so deeply injurious." The actor's remarks highlight the ongoing challenges and necessary accountability surrounding language and stereotypes on social media platforms.
