Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg came under attack Sunday night after he was chosen by the SAG Awards to host a presentation to the predominately Asian cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once.
His appearance in the host role came 35 years after he was convicted as a teenager of assaulting two Asian men.
The Oscar-nominated actor took to the stage near the end of the ceremonies to announce the winner of the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
The accolade went to Everything Everywhere All at Once, the Oscar-tipped drama about a dimension-jumping laundrette owner starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu and Ke Huy Quan.
Mark Wahlberg presents Ke Huy Quan with the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” during the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty)
Viewers were quick to take to social media and condemn the choice of Wahlberg to host the award.
As Breitbart News reported in 2014, Wahlberg unsuccessfully sought a pardon for his attack on the two Vietnamese men, writing in an application: “I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims.”
“Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others.”
Wahlberg admitted in his pardon application he was high on drugs when he committed the assault. He said he was sentenced to three months in jail and ended up serving 45 days.