George Takei, Sandra Oh and Ang Lee Protest Asian Jokes at Oscars
The Oscars are facing another protest from Hollywood stars, this time for racially insensitive jokes made by host Chris Rock at this year's ceremony.
On Wednesday, 25 members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences who are of Asian descent sent a letter to the Academy protesting a number of "tasteless" skits that took place at the 88th Academy Awards on Feb. 28.
WATCH: Constance Wu, Jeremy Lin and More Slam Chris Rock's Asian Joke at Oscars
The letter read, in part:
"We are writing as Academy members of Asian descent to express our complete surprise and disappointment with the targeting of Asians at the 88th Oscars telecast and its perpetuation of racist stereotypes.
"In light of criticism over #OscarsSoWhite, we were hopeful that the telecast would provide the Academy a way forward and the chance to present a spectacular example of inclusion and diversity. Instead, the Oscars show was marred by a tone-deaf approach to its portrayal of Asians.
"We'd like to know how such tasteless and offensive skits could have happened and what process you have in place to preclude such unconscious or outright bias and racism toward any group in future Oscars telecasts."
Among those who signed the letter of protest are Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, Grey's Anatomy star Sandra Oh and Star Trek's George Takei, among many others who belong to various branches of the Academy.
WATCH: Chris Rock Addresses Diversity Controversy During Oscars Monologue
A spokesperson for the Academy responded to the letter in a statement to ET, sharing, "The Academy appreciates the concerns stated, and regrets that any aspect of the Oscar telecast was offensive. We are committed to doing our best to ensure that material in future shows be more culturally sensitive."
Rock had no qualms addressing the controversy surrounding the Oscar's lack of diversity during this year's awards show. However, one of the offensive skits in question occurred when the 51-year-old comedian invited the accountants from PricewaterhouseCooper, who calculate the Academy voting results, to join him on stage.
Instead of actual employees, three young Asian children dressed in suits and carrying briefcases were brought on stage and introduced by Rock as Ming Zu, Bao Ling and David Moskowitz.
"If anybody's upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids," Rock quipped.
The sketch was immediately trashed on Twitter, with many celebrities -- including Jeremy Lin, Daniel Dae Kim, Constance Wu and Jeffrey Wright -- sharing their distaste and disbelief at the racially insensitive nature of the joke. Check out the video below for a look at the online backlash.
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