BD Wong Addresses Criticism Following Racist Joke

Actor BD Wong expressed regret after drawing criticism for a racially insensitive joke he made on Threads on Tuesday, December 2. Wong acknowledged that his comment relied on a harmful stereotype and caused hurt.

The Law & Order: SVU guest star, known for his recurring role as Dr. George Huang, responded to a post by Black wildlife influencer Mike Holston, who shared a photo of himself holding an animal with the caption, Name this animal. Wrong answers only. In a comment that has since been deleted, Wong wrote, It appears to be a Black man.

After receiving backlash, Wong returned to Threads to issue a formal apology. He stated, I want to elaborate re a racist comment I posted, to clarify that I recognize & accept the responsibility for how terrible it is, emphasizing that attempts to justify the remark would be inappropriate. He added, 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 statement with, Very sorry for the hurt Ive caused & for taking so lightly something so deeply injurious.

In addition to his work on SVU, where he recently appeared in the season 27 premiere on September 25, Wong is recognized for roles such as Father Ray Mukada in Oz, Whiterose/Minister Zhi Zhang in Mr. Robot, and Professor Hugo Strange in Gotham. He has also appeared in the Jurassic World film series.

Prior to his apology, Wong attempted to clarify the post. According to reports, he explained, Well, it said wrong answers only, but I could see why people wouldnt get that, so I deleted it real quick, but yeah, that was the dumb idea.

Author: Zoe Harrison