"How I Met Your Mother" Creators Apologize For Racism Controversy

Does this apology work for you?

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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This past Monday, CBS aired an episode of How I Met Your Mother that was littered with offensive stereotypes about the Asian culture. The episode sparked an immediate controversy on social media, leading Complex staff writer Tara Aquino to write an in-depth essay calling for an end to the racist humor that is all over television.

Now the creators of the show, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, have taken to Twitter to offer an apology to fans. Here is what they had to say:

Hey guys, sorry this took so long. @himymcraig and I want to say a few words about #HowIMetYourRacism.
With Monday's episode, we set out to make a silly and unabashedly immature homage to Kung Fu movies, a genre we’ve always loved.
But along the way we offended people. We're deeply sorry, and we’re grateful to everyone who spoke up to make us aware of it.
We try to make a show that's universal, that anyone can watch and enjoy. We fell short of that this week, and feel terrible about it.
To everyone we offended, I hope we can regain your friendship, and end this series on a note of goodwill. Thanks. @CarterBays @HimymCraig
I second everything @carterbays just tweeted -- we love all #HIMYM fans and apologize that we caused offense.

This reads like a genuinely heartfelt apology, as opposed to the forced PR statements we usually see in these cases. For all of the shallow ways social media can be used, the voice it gives audiences for situations like this makes up for all the other nonsense. However, The Hollywood Reporter has pointed out that as of now, CBS is still streaming the episode online. If you haven’t watched it yet, we urge you to just ignore it and not give it the validity of yet another page view.

[via Twitter, THR]

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