Charlyne Yi Accuses David Cross of Being ‘Racist’ Toward Her, Cross Responds to ‘Deeply Upsetting’ Claims
Zack Sharf
Charlyne Yi has accused David Cross of racism in a Twitter thread in which she shared details of their first meeting. According to Yi, Cross made fun of her tattered pants and when she chose to ignore him, he responded, “What’s a matter? You don’t speak English? Ching-chong-ching-chong.” He then asked the comedian whether or not she would fight karate with him. Yi says the two met again years later and Cross introduced himself as if they never saw each other before.
“I can tell the difference between this man making a joke vs condescending me,” Yi wrote. “This happened 10 years ago and I sure as hell hope he’s changed (or at the very least, he’s scared enough to not be his racist self)…it is very uncool that a 40+ man was being racist toward me, being a young 20 year old woman who was clearly on the verge of tears from his first racist comment.”
I think about the first time I met David Cross ten years ago & he made fun of my pants (that were tattered because I was poor). Dumbfounded I stared at him speechless and he said to me “what’s a matter? You don’t speak English?? Ching-chong-ching-chong”.
— Charlyne Yi (@charlyne_yi) October 16, 2017
Then after he saw I was offended he asked me if I was going to fight with him karate in a southern accent. Then a few years later he was re-introduced to me after my comedy show with his girlfriend at the time & he said “Hi nice to meet you”.
— Charlyne Yi (@charlyne_yi) October 16, 2017
I will say this:
-I can tell the difference between this man making a joke vs condescending me.
-This happened 10 years ago and I sure as hell hope he’s changed (or at the very least, he’s scared enough to not be his racist self).— Charlyne Yi (@charlyne_yi) October 16, 2017
HOWEVER it is very uncool that a 40+ man was being racist toward me, being a young 20 year old woman who was clearly on the verge of tears from his first racist comment.
— Charlyne Yi (@charlyne_yi) October 16, 2017
Cross didn’t take long to respond to Yi’s allegations. The “Arrested Development” star first responded to a fan reacting negatively to him by saying, “This seems crazy and WAY out of character for me. I’m buying teething gel right now but will get to the bottom of this as soon as I get home.”
In a tweet directly responding to Yi’s first statement, Cross said he did not remember the encounter at all and that it was “bonkers” and “way out of character.”
He followed-up the response by posting an official statement, which ended on the line: “I can’t believe I have to write this but I am not a racist nor a bully and loathe them in real life.” His statement ends with #Rashomon, referencing the Akira Kurosawa film in which characters remember the same event differently.
This seems crazy and WAY out of character for me. I’m buying teething gel right now but will get to the bottom of this as soon as I get home
— )))David Cross((( (@davidcrosss) October 17, 2017
Charlene, i dont remember this at all! It’s bonkers to me and WAY, way out of character. DM me so I can understand all of this.
— )))David Cross((( (@davidcrosss) October 17, 2017
Adressing the Charlyne Yi tweet below. pic.twitter.com/WMHxH6lZco
— )))David Cross((( (@davidcrosss) October 18, 2017
Yi’s story comes in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, in which over 40 women have accused the studio executive of sexual harassment and abuse. The scandal has inspired many women throughout the industry to share their own stories of harassment, including Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Lawrence. Cross says he has reached out to Yi privately and hopes to resolve the matter soon.
