BD Wong issued a lengthy apology on Threads after making a “racist comment” on social media. The “Law & Order” and “Jurassic World” actor sparked backlash after commenting on a post by Mike Halston (aka @TheRealTarzan, who boasts 16 million followers on Instagram). Halston, who is black, posted a photo with the animal and captioned it, “Name this animal… only incorrect answers.” In a now-deleted comment, Wong reportedly replied, “You look black.”
After the comment started circulating on social media, Mr Wong later wrote in a thread that he had “made a terrible joke”. “I deleted it for damage control, as most people do, but it’s been published and continues to hurt and disappoint. I’m truly sorry for the hurtful parts. Very stupid, but I tried to follow the ‘wrong answers only’ prompt with the most incorrect answers. This was successful only in that it was very wrong. I know no one gets a free pass. I’m sorry if this #wtfbd moment hurt any respect you may have had for me. And I appreciate your advocacy for a safer internet for everyone. ”
Hours later, the actor added, “I would like to elaborate on the racist comments I posted and make it clear that I recognize how egregious it was and accept responsibility for it. I also think it’s wrong to try to ‘explain’ anything, and that it only causes a further breakdown in people’s trust.”
“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 are no excuses. I am extremely sorry for the hurt I have caused and for making light of something that has hurt so deeply,” Wong concluded.
Wong is best known for playing Dr. George Huang on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role he began playing in the series’ second season. After a long hiatus following the end of season 17, Wong returned to the role during the show’s season 27 earlier this year. His other notable television roles include the role of Whiterose in “Mr. Robot,” for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and Hugo Strange in “Gotham.” Wong played the role of Dr. Henry Wu in 1993’s Jurassic Park, and reprized the role in the original Jurassic World trilogy from 2015 to 2022.
