Actor Damon Wayans Jr. apologized for a number of “hurtful” tweets he says came at the “expense of the LGBTQ community,” days after it was announced he would produce an hour-long drama about a “gender non-conforming” young person.
Last week, The CW Television Network announced that Wayans Jr. would serve as an executive producer for Glamorous, a new series following the life of gender non-conforming high school graduate who lands his dream job interning at a cosmetics company whose products he slated on his YouTube channel.
However, it has now emerged that in tweets posted between 2010 and 2011, the 36-year-old used terms such as “tranny,” “fag,” and “no homo,” something that has caused anger among LGBT activists.
“When I was a young comic trying to find my voice, I made some immature and hurtful tweets that I deeply regret at the expense of the LGBTQ community,” Wayans said in a statement provided to Deadline. “When I tweeted those comments, almost 10 years ago, I was unaware of the emotional impact they could have. I am not excusing that behavior but that is not who I am today. Society evolved and so have I and it is something I will continue to do both personally and professionally.”
“Continued learning, acceptance and thoughtful words are all important actions that will help make society a kinder and safer place for all people,” he continued. “You know better, you do better. I am very proud of the work we are doing at Two Shakes entertainment.
Wayans Jr., who has starred in televisions series including Happy Endings and New Girl, has previously expressed anti-American political views. In July 2017, he mocked those celebrating July 4th Independence Day celebrations, describing them as “Happy white people proud of their racist ancestors day.”
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.