Comedian and actor Wayne Brady has already given his apologies for a joke he told the audience at the Comedy Central Roast Of Roseanne Barr. The joke, which was supposed to be a crack about the appearance of fellow roaster Jeffrey Ross, sparked outrage amongst some conservative groups and parents after the show aired on August 12.

According to reports, 40-year-old Wayne Brady has been taking some heat for the past week over a joke that he cracked which involves Trig Palin — the son of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who suffers from Down Syndrome. Brady said that Sarah Palin hates Jeff Ross because he reminds her of “what Trig Palin is going to look like when he’s 40.”

As the roast aired, Jeffrey Ross himself posted a tweet, applauding the set of Wayne Brady:

@realjeffreyross Holy mackeral @waynebrady demolished me with that trigg joke. #RoseanneRoast. Great set, buddy.

Wayne Brady issued an apology on Friday using his Facebook page, and explained that while he did not write the joke himself, he owned performing it and felt it was important to apologize as a father. Here’s the full text of Brady’s apology:

“This letter has taken me a few days to compose because of the conflicting emotions that I’ve experienced since the day of the Roast and it’s subsequent airing. The environment of the Roast is a comedic (hopefully), tasteless (mostly always), affair that encourages everyone to out-filth each other. Not normally what I’m known for, right? But, when I was invited, I jumped at the chance to play outside of my perceived “norm” and have fun. The Jeff joke was written for me and at the end of the day I take full responsibility for saying it. It wasn’t meant as a slam to Trig Palin and at the time I didn’t see it that way.”

Wayne Brady went on, writing: “I could defend it as a performer, but I would rather apologize from the bottom of my heart as a father. I understand how a parent, who loves their child, who tries to nurture and shield them when they cannot defend themselves, would take offense.. I have many times experienced this feeling. I’ve had awful things said about my daughter.. Violent and most times racial stabs. Being in the spotlight I have built a thick skin to these sorts of things. My daughter ( who’s now old enough to understand ) is another story. That being said I write this letter with sensitivity and a strong stance of responsibility for my actions.”

“I thank everyone who’s expressed their opinion for reminding me that my voice is heard… It’s easy to forget sometimes in front of cameras and lights.”

“To the Palins, please know that no malice or harm was meant. To the other families who were touched negatively, I hope you’ll be able to accept this apology as well.”

“I’ve always said that people in the public eye should be held responsible for what you say and I’m no hypocrite. Thanks for reading and letting me express my side.”

Take care all,
Wayne

Media outlet TMZ was able to talk to Wayne Brady at LAX this weekend about the Trig Palin incident, telling them “It’s a roast, but there are people with sensitivities … and some people were bothered.”

Comedian Wayne Brady was reportedly booed by the audience at the “Comedy Central Roast of Roseanne” after he told a racy joke about Trig Palin.

According to reports, 40-year-old Wayne Brady made a joke about Trig Palin — the son of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin — who is suffering from Down Syndrome.

The racy joke, which Brady made while addressing Jeff Ross, said:

“Now the thing is Jeff … these are all jokes, and I really like you. I really, really like you. But a lot of people hate you, especially Sarah Palin because you remind her of what Trig is going to look like when he’s 40.”

The comedian’s joke was greeted with a mixture of laughs and boos from the highly-partisan crowd. This then led Wayne Brady to say, “Oh, now you boo me? F*ck y’all. I don’t want to hear that. These people say all of this sh*t about me, and you boo me because of Trig?”

Brady, an American actor, singer, comedian and television personality, is best known for his work as a regular cast on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series entitled “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and as the host of the daytime talk show “The Wayne Brady Show.” He originally hosted the Fox show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” and currently hosts the 2009 revival of “Let’s Make a Deal.”