Jason Biggs apologized on Twitter for a Malaysia Airlines joke he tweeted on Thursday following the news that a Malaysia Airline plane was shot down, killing the 298 people on board.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukrane Thursday, July 17, as it was making its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, making it the second tragedy to befall the airline this year. In March, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared mid-flight, and is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean.

Jason Biggs Tweets Joke About Malaysia Airlines

Many were quick to comment on the airline, saying they would never fly Malaysia Airlines, but Biggs, who currently stars as Larry on Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, took it a bit too far, tweeting, “Anyone wanna buy my Malaysian Airlines frequent flier miles?”

He reportedly followed up the joke with a few more tweets, writing, “In all seriousness, [though] – HOW DO YOU MISTAKENLY SHOOT DOWN A COMMERCIAL PLANE?! Ugh,” and “It’s saddest for the victims and their families, obviously. But Malaysia Airlines is apparently a GREAT airline. Gonna be tough to recover.”

Many criticized Biggs for the poor timing of his tweet, deeming it inappropriate. Biggs, however, refused to back down, defending his tweet as a harmless joke.

“Hey all you ‘too soon’ a—holes – it’s a f—ing joke. You don’t have to think it’s funny, or even be on my twitter page at all. The idea that I wouldn’t have any empathy [for] the victims or their families because I make a joke is absolutely ridiculous. [You] know that, right? Truly – you losers are literally trying to find s—t to get angry about. Channel your issues elsewhere,” Biggs tweeted.

Jason Biggs Apologizes

After receiving even more angry messages, Biggs appeared to recognize the errors of his ways. He deleted his previous tweets, including the joke that started the controversy and the non-apology that followed, and posted a lengthy apology.

“This is obviously a horrible tragedy, and everyone – including myself – is sad and angry about it. Sending positive thoughts to the victims and their families…I understand that my comments might have come off as insensitive and ill-timed. For that, I apologize,” he wrote.

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Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.