What started off as a light-hearted comedy skit quickly turned into an awkward and offensive ordeal.
The Jimmy Kimmel Show recently had an unscripted skit called “Kid’s Table” where children discussed some of the major political issues such as the government shut down and America’s debt crisis.
When Kimmel asked the children what America should do about the $1.3 trillion that the US owes China, one boy replied: “Kill everyone in China.”
The boy’s unscripted comment sparked heated reactions from many individuals in both China and the US.
Everyone understood that the comment was from a child who may or may not have realized what he said, but many questioned where this response could have come from.
Rocket News 24 described the ordeal by saying “Awkward Jimmy Kimmel segment suggests some kids start being racist jerks at around age six.”
Reactions were so heated that many petitions were made against Kimmel’s decision to air the comment. A White House petition claimed, “The kids might not know better. However, Jimmy Kimmel and ABC’s management are adults. They had a choice not to air this racist program. It is totally unacceptable and should have been cut. Please cut the show immediately and issue a formal apology.”
A separate petition on Change.org claims “The comment ‘Killing all the Chinese’ is NOT a joke, no matter who says it. It is totally unacceptable. Jimmy Kimmel and the ABC network should know this “Killing all the Chinese” comment is offensive and racist.”
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As a result, ABC issued an apology letter to 80-20, a pan-Asian-American political organization. The apology reads, “We would never purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community, Asian community, anyone of Chinese descent or any community at large…our objective is to entertain.”
The network says the skit will be edited out of theJimmy Kimmel Live episode for future airings. You can watch the small remark below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9HIKCHRYSM#t=12
