Jay Leno Apologizes for Anti-Asian Comments

Jay Leno has issued an apology for anti-Asian jokes he’s made over the years.

There has been a campaign by the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) for remarks over the years and one dates back to 2020 from the set of America’s Got Talent. The complaints go back decades.

“At the time I did those jokes, I genuinely thought them to be harmless,” he said during a recent Zoom call with MANAA leader Guy Aoki. (via Variety). “I was making fun of our enemy North Korea, and like most jokes, there was a ring of truth to them.”

He added, “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.’ Too many times I sided with the latter even when in my heart I knew it was wrong.”

“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,” he said. “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.”