BD Wong Apologizes for Racist Joke: ‘I’m Sorry if This Moment Tarnished Any Respect You May’ve Had For Me’

BD Wong issued a lengthy apology on Threads after making a “racist comment” on social media.

via: EW

The Law & Order: SVU and Mulan star recently shared a two-part apology after being called out for making a racist joke on Instagram. Wong initially responded to a post by content creator Mike Holston, who is Black, asking his 16 million followers to "name this animal... wrong answers only." In a now-deleted comment on the video depicting Holston petting an happy-looking binturong, which rambled around his shoulders, Wong wrote, "It appears to be a Black man."

On Monday, the same day that Holston shared his post, Wong wrote on the text-based Instagram analogue Threads, "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."

"Super dumb, but I tried to follow the 'Wrong Answers Only' prompt w/the wrongest answer. This succeeded only in that it was Super Wrong," Wong explained. "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."

In a follow-up post elaborating on the "#wtfbd moment," the actor continued, "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; I do know better, but again no excuses. Very sorry for the hurt I've caused & for taking lightly something so deeply injurious."

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for Wong for comment.

Wong has not previously been on the receiving end of public criticism accusing him of racism, but he has spoken out in other instances in which he's seen racism at work.

In August, Wong, who is of Chinese descent, penned an open letter criticizing the casting of white actor Andrew Barth Feldman in a role in the musical Maybe Happy Ending, which was originated by Darren Criss, who is of Filipino descent, after the production traveled from Korea to Broadway in 2024.

"To put it simply: Asian Actors and the Asian Theatergoing Community are fiercely wrestling over a non-Asian actor replacing the Asian male lead in the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending. Please google this responsibly. It's a real, eternal outcry about race and representation, not an irrational rant about robots," he wrote.

Wong rose to prominence off the accolades he earned for his starring role in the 1988 Broadway production of M. Butterfly, opposite John Lithgow.

He has since appeared on series like Oz, several films in the Jurassic Park franchise, and memorably, 16 seasons of SVU as Special Agent George Huang, recently reprising the character after a nearly decade-long absence.