Jay Leno offered an apology for his jokes in a joint statement with activist group Media Action Network for Asian Americans, Yahoo Entertainment reported Thursday.
Throughout his career, the comedian has told jokes that typecast Asians as dog eaters, jokes which have been condemned for more than 10 years by Media Action.
The former "Tonight Show" host on Wednesday expressed his remorse during a Zoom call with Guy Aoki, leader of Media Action.
"At the time I did those jokes, I genuinely thought them to be harmless," he said in remarks quoted by Yahoo!
"I was making fun of our enemy North Korea and, like most jokes, there was a ring of truth to them."
Leno said at the time, whenever the show received a complaint, there would be two sides to the issue:
"Either 'we need to deal with this' or 'Screw 'em if they can't take a joke," he said.
On most occasions, Leno said he "sided" with the latter even when in his heart he knew it was wrong.
The 70-year-old comedian's comments were made almost a week after the violent shootings in Atlanta, in which six Asian-American women were killed.
Anti-Asian hate crimes soared by nearly 150% in 16 of the U.S.' biggest cities last year, according to an analysis of police data by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
Leno's apology also comes as Hollywood celebrities are using their social media platforms to denounce the growing violence against Asian-Americans, specifically women and the elderly.
Leno made his first TV appearance in a 1976 episode of Good Times. He hosted NBC's The Tonight Show, from 1992 to 2009 and again from 2010 to 2014. He currently hosts the series Jay Leno's Garage.
