ABC Apologizes for Jimmy Kimmel Live's "Kill Everyone in China" Comment in Children's Skit

"We would never purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community, Asian community, anyone of Chinese descent or any community at large," the network said

By Bruna Nessif Oct 28, 2013 10:38 PMTags
Jimmy KimmelSouth China Morning Post

Jimmy Kimmel's kids are at it again.

ABC issued an apology on Saturday to 80-20 Initiative, an online organization in the U.S. promoting equal opportunities for Asian-Americans, in regards to a controversial comment that was made during a children's skit on Jimmy Kimmel Live which featured a young boy saying, "Kill everyone in China."

"We're writing to offer our sincere apology," ABC said in a copy of the letter obtained by the South China Morning Post. "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."

ABC's senior executives added in the letter that the network had removed the controversial comment from all media platforms and would edit the comment out of any future airing of the show.

The skit "Kids Table," which originally aired on Oct. 16, shows a panel of children talking about current events, like the government's debt in this case. In the clip, Kimmel asks the kids how the U.S. should "pay China back" the $1.3 trillion it owes, and one young boy's response surprised viewers (and Kimmel).

"Kill everyone in China," Braxton suggested.

Chinese-Americans were infuriated with the comment, and nearly 60,000 signed a White House petition calling on Barack Obama to investigate Kimmel's "Kids Table" for employing "the same rhetoric used in Nazi Germany against Jewish people."

S.B. Woo, chairman of the 80-20 Initiative and of Hong Kong origin, told E! News in a statement that he immediately began a protest with ABC as soon as he found out that the Jimmy Kimmel Live show was actually not live.

"Personally I don't consider it as an 80-20 victory at all. Instead it is a sad teachable moment for our community. I humbly hope that this incident has shown our community the importance of SELF RELIANCE."