"Star Trek" star George Takei says he's sorry for his "uncivil" description of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as "a clown in blackface," calling the remark "regrettable."
The outspoken gay advocate came under fire after
lashing out at at Thomas, the only black member of the high court, for his dissenting opinion in the Supreme Court's landmark ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
In the emotional interview with a Fox News affiliate in Phoenix, Takei also blasted Thomas as "a disgrace to America."
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Apologizing
on Facebook, Takei wrote that everyone has "hot-button topics that can set us off, and Justice Thomas had hit mine, that is clear."
"But my choice of words was regrettable, not because I do not believe Justice Thomas is deeply wrong, but because they were ad hominem and uncivil, and for that I am sorry," he writes.
Takei explained that when he was asked abut the opinion, he was "still seething," and his reference to Thomas as a "clown in blackface" was "not intended to be racist, but rather to evoke a history of racism in the theatrical arts."
"While I continue to vehemently disagree with Justice Thomas, the words I chose, said in the heat of anger, were not carefully considered," he said.
"I often ask fans to keep the level of discourse on this page and in comments high, and to remember that we all love this country and for what it stands for, even if we often disagree passionately about how to achieve those goals," he adds. "I did not live up to my own high standards in this instance."
Meanwhile, fellow "Star Trek" star William Shatner defended Takei on Twitter, calling on the media to "stop the spin doctoring":
Shatner added, "We all should be upset by the dissenting opinion."
Mediaite reports Shatner's defense comes despite a long history of bickering between the two stars, including a remark made last year by Takei that Shatner was "very self-centered."
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