BD Wong, the longtime Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Jurassic World actor, has issued a public apology after facing intense backlash for a “racist comment” he recently made online.
In a lengthy statement on Tuesday, December 2, the 65-year-old star acknowledged the harm caused by his remark, calling it a “despicable, racist trope,” and took full responsibility for his actions.
Highlights
- BD Wong’s online joke spiraled into a full-blown backlash, forcing the star to issue not one but two public apologies.
- Fans remain divided, with some calling his remark a “racist trope,” while others insist it was harmless “humor.”
- The controversy stunned many, especially given Wong’s decades-long advocacy against racism and discrimination as an Asian American.
“It absolutely was dark humor gone wrong. I don't think he was trying to be racist, but I don't think he thought it through how it would appear either,” reacted one fan of Wong.
The backlash erupted when BD Wong commented on a post from a popular nature-focused account run by exotic animal specialist Mike Holston
Image credits: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
On Monday, December 1, Mike Holston’s account, which has over 16 million Instagram followers under the handle @therealtarzann, shared a light-hearted post on Threads.
The exotic animal specialist, who is a person of color, posted a short clip of himself holding an exotic bearcat and asked his followers to name the unique animal.
However, there was a catch, as he wrote in the caption, “Name this animal... wrong answers only.”
Image credits: Virginia Sherwood/Getty Images
To this, BD Wong replied, “It appears to be a Black man.”
The comment quickly ignited controversy, with many calling out the actor for being “racist” toward a Black person.
Wong deleted his original comment within hours, but by then it had already been widely screenshotted and circulated across social media platforms.
The 65-year-old Hollywood star commented on a joking post by the animal specialist, referring to him as a “Black man”
Image credits: Mike Holston
As the backlash intensified, Wong issued a public apology on his Threads account, @wongbd.
He wrote, “I want to elaborate re a racist comment I posted, to clarify that I recognize & accept the responsibility for how terrible it is."
“It’s also wrong to try to 'explain' anything, & I think that causes a further breaking down in folks' trust. 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.”
He emphasized that his apology was not meant to make an “excuse” for his behavior but to acknowledge the “hurt I’ve caused.”
The Bird Box star concluded, “Very sorry for the hurt I’ve caused & for taking lightly something so deeply injurious."
This wasn’t the only apology Wong issued. In a separate post, he also explained why he deleted the original comment and what led him to make such a “bad joke” in the first place.
“I’m sorry if this… moment tarnished any respect you may’ve had for me,” expressed Wong in not one but two separate apologies
Image credits: Mr Robot
“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.”
He explained that he had simply “tried to follow the ‘Wrong Answers Only’ prompt with the wrongest answer” on Mike’s post, which he now admits was “super wrong.”
“I know nobody gets a free pass. I’m sorry if this #wtfbd moment tarnished any respect you may’ve had for me. & thanks if you advocate for an internet that’s safe for everybody.”
Image credits: Mr Robot
However, his apologies failed to fully repair the damage, as fans continued to criticize Wong for his words.
One enraged user wrote, “You made a very racist joke. If it had just been ‘bad,’ you wouldn’t have immediately tried to delete it. You deleted it because of the backlash you KNEW was coming and not because of the hurt you caused.”
Social media users remained divided in their reactions to the Chinese-American actor’s controversial “racist” comment
Image credits: SYFY
Another remarked, “It was more than a bad joke; it was racist. Call it that and name your racism if you want to be genuine in your apology.”
A third added, “Time to cancel this dude. Not funny, not a joke, and not even a good apology…”
But some argued that “cancel culture” was going too far, insisting that Wong’s “original comment” was simply an innocent mistake and “comedy.”
Image credits: wongbd
“A joke is a joke. If you didn’t mean anything behind it, that's all it was. I love you, and I love your art and your skill. You don’t have to apologize…”
Others echoed the sentiment, writing, “The post clearly said wrong answers only. And the black guy definitely knew what he would be getting. It was clearly a joke with no ill intent… I can't fault him for going along with the joke. I'm not holding him to any higher standard.”
It was a surprising turn for many, given that Wong, who is of Chinese descent, has a long history of speaking out against bigotry, racism, typecasting, and the lack of representation for Asian Americans in the entertainment industry.
BD has long been a strong advocate for the Asian American community, often speaking out against anti-Asian hate and criticizing whitewashing in theater and film.
The man at the center of the controversy, Holston, has not yet addressed Wong’s remarks about him or the reference to his skin color
Image credits: Law & Order
In January 2022, while addressing students at Elon University, Wong delivered the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address, honoring the late civil rights leader’s legacy.
He opened up about his own experiences with racism and explained how King’s movement shaped his perspective as an Asian American.
He said, “When you were neither White nor Black, you felt somehow outside of the discussion.”
Image credits: BD Wong
“Then as my life continued, I feel like that perspective grows and changes and shifts and I am absolutely a participant in all of the many growing and evermore complicated discussions about civil rights, racism, and the lack of equality in many different areas.”
Wong is widely recognized for his role as Dr. Henry Wu in 1993’s Jurassic Park, a character he later reprised in the Jurassic World trilogy from 2015 to 2022.
“Nobody was hurt or offended. They just saw an opportunity to tear someone else down and took it,” wrote one supporter of the actor
