China to Kimmel: Say You're Sorry Like You Mean It

'Kill everyone in China' quip sparks anti-ABC protests
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 12, 2013 11:50 PM CST
Updated Nov 13, 2013 1:03 AM CST
China: Kimmel Apology Not Good Enough
This July 3, 2013 photo released by ABC shows Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."    (AP Photo/ABC, Randy Holmes, File)

China wants ABC to apologize a third time for an insensitive Jimmy Kimmel skit—and to be sincere about it this time. The network has already issued two public apologies over the skit that aired Oct. 16, in which a child suggests "killing everyone in China" to solve America's debt problem, notes the Hollywood Reporter. The skit sparked protests outside ABC offices—heavily covered by Chinese media—and a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman says ABC "should face up to its mistake and respond with a sincere attitude to the reasonable demands by Chinese people in America, and prevent a similar incident from occurring again."

"Spreading racism and hatred goes against the media’s social responsibility," the spokesman added. ABC is owned by Disney and if the company can't put an end to the bad publicity, it could have trouble with projects including Shanghai Disneyland, predicts Bloomberg. Kimmel himself has apologized on air and at the protests, though China's state broadcaster has paid more attention to a clip of him sparring with a Chinese journalist who asked him about a potential lawsuit from Chinese-Americans. "In America we have the freedom of the press," Kimmel said. "If they want to waste their money suing me, I’d recommend they don’t do that. But that’s their choice." (More Jimmy Kimmel stories.)

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