David Cross says his Charlyne Yi comments were from “asshole redneck racist character”
It’s better to address being called a racist sooner than later, but David Cross’ apology posts in response to Charlyne Yi’s tweets about that time he affected an Asian accent and challenged her to a “karate” fight have moved past expressing regret to reconstructing the encounter, crime procedural-style. Cross’ initial reply to Yi’s claims suggested they might have “both misremember[ed]” the incident from 10 years ago, though he stressed that her recollection wasn’t entirely accurate. Now in a two-tweet post titled “A Fruitless Endeavor Part 2,” Cross has clarified that if he did say “ching-chong, ching-chong” to Yi, he did so in character—not on stage anywhere, but at the Shreveport hotel bar where they first met.
See, because they were in Louisiana, Cross thought he’d give her a Southern welcome, having grown up in Georgia. So it was Ronnie Dobbs who asked if she spoke English, not David Cross.
Also, Cross had no clue that Yi was upset by their interaction, despite her claims that she was on the verge of tears after having her attire mocked. There’s no real apology in these tweets either, though Cross does admonish people who are calling him a racist on Twitter, writing “I truly hope, and I mean this from the bottom of my soul, that this happens to you too. Maybe then you won’t be so quick to judge.” Yi hasn’t responded to either of Cross’ explanations.