H. Jon Benjamin, lead voice actor for "Bob's Burgers" and "Archer," immediately retracts and apologizes for "lazy and incompetent" joke.
"Bob's Burgers" star H. Jon Benajamin may have thought he was just quoting a line from "Full Metal Jacket," but Twitter quickly let him know his joke was also racist and offensive.
The voice actor, also famous for FXX's "Archer," posted a tweet on Saturday that was met with an immediate and very negative response. That tweet has since been deleted, though Benjamin has left his subsequent apology tweets online.
The original joke -- which isn't all that funny, either -- was, "Quick idea for the name of a tea shop- 'ooh me so horny, me love you oolong time tea shop.'"
to make light of the big picture stereotyping of Vietnamese people and Asian Americans in general. I’m sorry I ever made that cup of tea. And thanks for making me realize this in quick order
— h. jon benjamin (@HJBenjamin) September 23, 2018
It's easy to see how Benjamin might not fully think this through, as it's a phrase that has been a part of popular culture for decades now, not just from Stanley Kubrick's cinematic masterpiece but also in one of the most controversial rap singles of all time, 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny," sampling the film.
The group was slapped with obscenity charges and the album temporarily declared obscene, until the ruling was appealed and upheld by the Supreme Court. And now, that same expression saw Benjamin facing charges of racism in the court of public opinion; a court perhaps even more dangerous than the actual court of law if you work in Hollywood.
While the expression has become as much a part of popular lingo as Bugs Bunny's "What's up, Doc?" or Steve Urkel's "Did I do that?" it lacks the innocence of those phrases, instead perpetuating racist stereotypes of Asian people and the Vietnamese in particular.
With the Fox and Disney merger looming, and James Gunn still fired by the latter for terrible "joke" tweets he made a decade ago, Benjamin was probably wise to remove the offending tweet and apologize immediately.
The good news for Benjamin is that many on Twitter appear to have accepted his sincere apology.
A sincere apology goes an oolong way. I'm Asain and before my disappointment for that joke could steep, you swallowed your pride by giving some acknowledge-mint to the bitter origins of that expression.
— Jay (@Jayt0626) September 23, 2018
You're awesome. You didn't mean anything bad by what you said, and don't be sorry for making that tea. In fact have another. You never fail to make me smile. 🖤
— ₣คⱤⱤคⱧ 🖤{Đคг₭ ĐгɆ₳₥Ɇг}🖤 (@In_my_mind1313) September 23, 2018
Humanity is making a mistake. Maturity is admitting you made a mistake and apologizing. Thank you for being a mature human about this.
— Not That Moose (@mizmoose) September 23, 2018
This Asian American thanks you for being so cool and admitting this was a meh joke. I purchased and binge-watched all of @archerfxx recently so I read the tweet in Archer’s voice. Also, you wrote a great book.
— Ryan (@ryanisbrief) September 23, 2018
Honorable and competent handling of this. Good.
— Peter M. O’Donnell (@pmod) September 23, 2018
You didn’t have to apologize. You chose to. That makes all the difference in the world
— G Lam (@bigsix) September 23, 2018
i found the joke to be offensive but i know your humor never means true offense - and for anyone that was really that upset over that tweet, I’m sorry but @archerfxx is really not for you...
— deli[K]ate • rep DC nights 1&2! (@kateofgrace) September 23, 2018
Thanks for showing some humili-tea
— beep (@howisbeepjeepta) September 23, 2018
Apology accepted. For the record, though, we blame inappropriate tweets on Ambien, not oolong tea.
— Phatois (@nervoustwit) September 23, 2018
But, of course, not everyone was so forgiving. This is the internet, after all.
You didn't just make light.
— Space Witches, Esq. (@popelizbet) September 23, 2018
You repeated a racist stereotype.
Just admit you said something racist and stop blaming it on movies and your tea.
ITT: white people quickly accepting an apology never meant for them. Also white people reassuring you that what you said “wasn’t even racist.” Why are y’all like this
— John Bai (@BohnJai) September 23, 2018
Hell naw. I refuse your apology and I'm going to show people how much of a racist you really are for the pure fact that you would think of a "joke" to make light of exploitation of Asian women.https://t.co/JXdXueFIzP
— VacXcene-Nguyen (@VacXcene) September 23, 2018
Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at tips@toofab.com.
