Chinese Americans urge ABC apology for improper talk show skit

After US comedian Jimmy Kimmel apologized for an offensive skit in which a kid suggested Americans "kill everyone in China" as a way to solve US debt problem, Chinese Americans say they wanted a "formal, open and meaningful apology" from ABC, which aired the show.

In a statement, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) said it sent a letter to Paul Lee, President of the ABC Entertainment Group, in response to the skit aired Oct. 16 on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Kimmel apologized for the skit in his show broadcast late Monday night. CAPAC leaders acknowledged the apology, but Representative Judy Chu, who chairs CAPAC, said the on-air apology "lacked substance or sincerity."

"Moving forward, I intend to have an open dialogue with ABC Entertainment Group to ensure that diversity is respected at every level of the organization," said Chu.

Also on Tuesday, in an open letter to ABC and its parent company Walt Disney Company, Haipei Shue, president of the National Council of Chinese Americans (NCCA), which spearheaded the successful campaign to obtain Congressional apology for the " 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act," expressed the group's "grave disappointment" with ABC over its decision to air the "insensitive " and "offensive" skit.

During the show, Kimmel asked children on how the United States should deal with the government shutdown and national debt owed to China. One of the children commented that the United States should "kill everyone in China," creating an uproar in the Chinese community.

Critics said that Kimmel was wrong for not stopping the comment and failing to explain to the children that it was not the right idea, and even worse the ABC failed to remove the comment from the show, which was taped before it went on air.

"We call for ABC to immediately issue a formal, open and meaningful apology to all Americans, particularly to Chinese and Asian Americans," said the letter.

"More important than issuing any apology," the letter said "we ask and demand that ABC sincerely ask itself the question 'How could we allow this to happen?' and 'What can we do to prevent it from happening again?'"

It urged ABC to start a dialogue with the Chinese and Asian American communities, and come up with an "actionable remedial plan."