Mark Wahlberg appeared at the 2023 SAG Awards on Sunday, February 26, when he revealed Everything Everywhere All at Once took home the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
However, people couldn't help but point out that the actor, 51, was presenting the award to a predominantly Asian cast, despite assaulting two Vietnamese American men decades prior.
“Mark Wahlberg was arrested for hate crimes. He’s racist. An Asian man lost his sight after Mark beat him and another Asian man to the brink of death. Having him present an award to ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ seems extremely sinister,” one person wrote, while another said, “How ironic that Mark Wahlberg, who attacked Asians when he was a young man in Boston, announced the big winner of the #SAGAwards2023 : the mainly Asian American ensemble cast of #EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce Wahlberg did not seem happy."
“I’m a @sagaftra member, and I am deeply disappointed by the @SAGawards decision to have Mark Wahlberg present an award that they had to know had a high chance of going to a mostly Asian cast. Incredibly poor taste, given his past crimes,” another person fumed.
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However, some stuck up for the Ted alum. “So everyone is reacting over Mark Wahlberg presenting an award to a film with a predominantly asian cast because of a crime he did over 30 years ago to an asian bec of his drug issues then served time and did peace with the offended party and turned his life around,” one user said.
In 1988, Wahlberg hit a Vietnamese American man unconscious with a stick and went on to call him “Vietnam f**king s**t.”
That same day, the Hollywood star also punched another Vietnamese American man in the eye.
Police arrested Wahlberg, who claimed he was on high on PCP at the time. He was charged with attempted murder and pleaded guilty to felony assault. He was sentenced to two years in jail but only served 45 days before he was released.
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"I want people to remember my past so that I can serve as an example of how lives can be turned around," he later wrote.
