Jay Leno, the longtime “Tonight Show” host, apologized for a history of making anti-Asian jokes, saying that at the time he “genuinely thought they were harmless”, but now he expects Asian Americans to forgive him.
The comedian said in a joint statement with the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, a watchdog group that tracks anti-Asian comments and incidents in the media and entertainment industries, that he had an attitude at the time that “some group is always complaining something, so don’t worry about it. “Whenever the program received a complaint, he said, the response was divided into two fields:” We need to deal with this “or” screw if they can’t take a joke “.
“Many times I have teamed up with the latter, even when in my heart I knew it was wrong,” said Leno. “That is why I am issuing this apology. I do not consider this specific case as another example of a culture of cancellation, but a legitimate mistake that was made on my part. “
It was a recent discovery. In 2019, Leno, who hosted “The Tonight Show” from 1992 to 2014, made an offensive anti-Asian joke while filming a commercial for “America’s Got Talent,” actor and producer Gabrielle Union told Variety.
MANAA, the watchdog group, has complained for decades about Leno’s jokes that were based on stereotypes of Asians, to no avail. Rob Chan, the group’s chairman, said in the statement that he was “happy with Jay’s arrival and that we will work together in the future”.
Leno is scheduled to present a restarted game show, “You Bet Your Life,” starting in the fall.
Leno’s apology came at a time when Asian Americans faced increasing discrimination and racist language during the coronavirus pandemic, while also processing the trauma of a recent mass shooting in the Atlanta area, in which six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. Leno said he would be “deeply hurt and ashamed if my words somehow contributed to incite this violence”.
Some Asian Americans have long argued that their concerns about anti-Asian discourse are often dismissed as trivial. Asian Americans have historically been underrepresented in Hollywood and comedy, and in 2016, a little bit of comedian Chris Rock who leaned on Asian stereotypes arrived at the Oscar ceremony.
Although late-night comedians choose a variety of targets, it is not the first time that Leno has been criticized for jokes that generated laughter at the time. Recently, a New York Times documentary about Britney Spears increased the scrutiny of the jokes of several nighttime presenters about her mental health. Leno did not apologize to the singer, although others, including Justin Timberlake and some publications, said they regret their behavior.
Azi Paybarah contributed reporting.