Entertainment
Jay Leno issues apology after decades of making jokes about Asian people: ‘A legitimate wrong that was done on my part’
Jay Leno has apologized for his history of making anti-Asian jokes during his time on The Tonight Show.
In a joint press statement released Wednesday with the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), the 70-year-old stated that he knew in his heart the jokes were wrong.
According to Variety, he explained: ‘At the time, there was a prevailing attitude that some group is always complaining about something, so don’t worry about it.
‘Whenever we received a complaint, there would be two sides to the discussion: Either “We need to deal with this” or “Screw ‘em if they can’t take a joke.”
Leno continued: ‘Too many times I sided with the latter even when in my heart I knew it was wrong. That is why I am issuing this apology.
‘I do not consider this particular case to be another example of cancel culture but a legitimate wrong that was done on my part.’
The former Tonight Show host had two stints on the NBC late-night show, from 1999-2009 and 2010-2014.
In at least nine documented instances dating back to 2002, and as recent as 2012, Leno made comments about Koreans eating cats or dogs.
‘At the time I did those jokes, I genuinely thought them to be harmless,’ Leno added in the statement. ‘I was making fun of our enemy North Korea, and like most jokes, there was a ring of truth to them.’
He continued: ‘MANAA has been very gracious in accepting my apology. I hope that the Asian American community will be able to accept it as well, and I hope I can live up to their expectations in the future.’
In 2002, 48,000 people emailed complaints to NBC after Leno joked that South Korean speed skater Kim Dong Sung ate his dog after his Olympic defeat to American Apolo Ohno (Ohno is of Japanese descent).
Leno later met with NBC’s SVP of diversity and admitted he had no Asian writers on staff.
Though he was instructed to stop making dog-eating jokes at that time, Leno continued to make dog-eating jokes on air between 2003-2012, despite complaints from viewers, MANAA and other organizations.
In 2019, former America’s Got Talent judge Gabrielle Union said Leno joked backstage about Koreans eating dogs after seeing a portrait of Simon Cowell posing with dogs.
In response to the recent increase in anti-Asian violence, Leno stated: ‘I was shocked and saddened by what has been happening to my fellow citizens in the Asian community.
‘I would be deeply hurt and ashamed if somehow my words did anything to incite this violence. With MANAA’s help, I would like to do what I can to help the healing process.’
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