Steve Martin apologises for racist joke

“I am very upset that a tweet I sent out last week has been interpreted by some to be insulting to African Americans,” Martin tweeted.

“To those who were offended,again,I offer a deep,sincere,and humble apology without reservation,” he added.

On December 21,a fan had asked Martin,”Is this how you spell lasonia?”

To which,he responded,”It depends. Are you in an African-American neighbourhood or at an Italian restaurant?”

However,he immediately deleted the post and even apologised for writing it.

But,many African-Americans were upset with the post.

After the apology,the ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ star then explained the situation,saying that he tried to crack a joke with grammar questions.

“I replied with what I hoped were funny answers. I was going along fine when someone wrote,’How do you spell ‘lasonia?’ I wrote: ‘It depends if you are in an African American neighbourhood or an Italian restaurant.’ I knew of the name Lasonia,” he wrote.

“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 added.