ABC apologises for ‘kill everyone in China’ comment on Jimmy Kimmel show

US television network ABC has issued a formal apology for allowing the comment “Kill everyone in China” to air on its late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live, which has provoked outrage from Chinese communities around the world.

“We offer our sincere apology,” read a statement from ABC obtained by South China Morning Post on Saturday. “We would never purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community, Asian community, anyone of Chinese descent or any community at large...our objective is to entertain.”

The statement, signed by Lisa Berger, ABC Entertainment’s executive vice president who oversees the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, and Tim McNeal, vice president of ABC’s talent development and diversity branch, added that ABC had removed the controversial comment from all media platforms and would edit the comment out of any future airing of the show.

Video: Jimmy Kimmel's show stirs controversy with comment about killing Chinese

This is the first known apology the television network has issued over the controversial skit originally aired on the “Kid’s Table” segment of Kimmel’s late-night talk show on October 16. It showed a young boy who suggested that the US should resolve its debt crisis by “killing everyone in China.”

Cyberspace-based organisation 80-20 Initiative in US that promotes equal opportunities for Asian Americans said the apology was a result of its "hard negotiations".