Martin once again apologizes and offers explanations for his joke in a Twitter post last week which was deemed insulting African-American people.
- Dec 24, 2013
AceShowbiz - Steve Martin, who recently made headlines because of a Twitter post which was said offending African-American people, has released a statement on his official website to explain the situation. He additionally apologizes for the tweet.
"I am very upset that a tweet I sent out last week has been interpreted by some to be insulting to African Americans," he wrote on Monday, December 23, adding that some outlets mistakenly reported the "unfortunate tweet." "To those who were offended, again, I offer a deep, sincere, and humble apology without reservation."
The "Cheaper by the Dozen" star then went on explaining the situation, saying that he tried to crack a joke with grammar questions. "I replied with what I hoped were funny answers," he said.
"I was going along fine when someone wrote, 'How do you spell 'lasonia?' I wrote: 'It depends if you are in an African American neighborhood or an Italian restaurant.' I knew of the name Lasonia. I did not make it up, nor do I find it funny. So to me the answer was either Lasonia (with a capital), or Lasagna, depending on what you meant. That they sounded alike in this rare and particular context struck me as funny. That was the joke," the actor continued.
Some people, however, were offended. Some websites additionally reported the wrong quote which read, "It depends if you are in an African American restaurant or an Italian restaurant." The wrong version implies that African-American restaurant cannot spell Lasagna.
After sending out the tweet on Friday, the actor quickly deleted the post and wrote an apology. "I did apologize. But again, a second later I realized what an offensive thing I'd done. Deep bow," he tweeted before admitting that the post was "highly inappropriate."
