Spike Lee Says His “Words Were Wrong” After Defending Woody Allen: ”I Deeply Apologize”

Spike Lee is clearing up his comments defending Woody Allen and criticizing Cancel Culture: “My words were wrong.”

During a Friday interview with New York City radio station WOR’s In the Morning, Lee opened up about his thoughts on “cancel culture” as it pertains to Woody Allen, the film director who infamously married his stepdaughter Soon-Yi Previn, whom he allegedly began grooming as a child.

“I’d just like to say Woody Allen is a great, great filmmaker, and this cancel thing is not just Woody. And I think when we look back on it, we are going to see that — short of killing somebody — I don’t know that you can just erase somebody like they never existed,” said Lee, who appeared on the show to promote his latest film Da 5 Bloods.  He added that Woody is a “friend” of his.

His interview immediately sparked backlash as people reminded Lee that Allen allegedly molested his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow when she was a child. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Farrow was seven at the time of the alleged assault. Following the criticism, Lee took to Twitter to address and roll back his remarks. “I Deeply Apologize. My Words Were WRONG. I Do Not And Will Not Tolerate Sexual Harassment, Assault, Or Violence. Such Treatment Causes Real Damage That Can’t Be Minimized. -Truly, Spike Lee,” he wrote.

In the meantime, Allen maintains that the claims against him are not true. However, he recently released a new memoir titled Apropos of Nothing, which details his life, career, and his romances. The book ended up being published by Arcade Publishing in March after being dropped by Hachette Book Group following a staged walkout in protest of the book. Farrow’s brother, Ronan, announced that he would be stepping away from the publisher if the company moved forward with the book.

However, Allen claims in his memoir that his ex-wife Mia Farrow made of the molestation story and told it, Ronan.