December 11, 2013
Paul Lee, President
ABC Entertainment Group 500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 01521-4589
Dear Mr. Lee,
Recently a group of Chinese-American citizens asked to meet with me to discuss their outrage over the “Kids Table” segment aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 16, 2013.
They brought with them the video of the segment which my Chief of Staff and I watched. It seems to me that Mr. Kimmel and his staff made at least three mistakes that indicate a deep lack of judgment: (1) failing to respond to the child’s initial comment with some kind of adult guidance; (2) repeating the comment as if it merited consideration; (3) failing to edit the taped show before broadcast. To condone and expand a comment about killing all Chinese leads to insensitive acts by other organizations and people.
I hope that you will hold these employees accountable for their poor judgment and consider carefully whether they are equal to the responsibilities that they have. Terminating these employees outright would send a necessary message about the values of the ABC Entertainment Group -the weak response to the episode so far has created doubts in the minds of many about the values and judgment of the leadership of the ABC Entertainment Group.
Sincerely,
William N. Brownsberger
STATE SENATOR