Jay Leno sorry for jokes about Asian Americans

TV host Jay Leno has apologised for making at least nine jokes about Korean or Chinese people eating dogs or cats

US TV show host Jay Leno has said sorry for making a long-running series of jokes about Asian-American people.

Leno, who hosted The Tonight Show for more than 20 years until 2014, admitted he had committed "a legitimate wrong".

His apology follows a lengthy campaign by the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) and a spike in hate crimes.

Last week, six Asian-American women were killed in a shooting in Atlanta, along with two other people.

The network noted how between 2002 and 2012, the comic and presenter made at least nine jokes about Korean or Chinese people eating dogs or cats.

"At the time I did those jokes, I genuinely thought them to be harmless," Leno said last month in a call with MANAA, the contents of which were released in a statement by the organisation on Wednesday.

'I knew it was wrong'

"I was making fun of our enemy North Korea, and like most jokes, there was a ring of truth to them," Leno continued.

"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'."

He added: "Too many times I sided with the latter even when in my heart I knew it was wrong. That is why I am issuing this apology."

He went on to say that he did not consider this to be an example of "cancel culture", but an acknowledgement of a genuine wrongdoing.

MANAA said Leno's apology, which he agreed to being made public, had been accepted and they considered the matter to be resolved.

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