Halle Berry Apologizes

By: Shannon Gossage

Berry, 41, reportedly made a Jewish joke while appearing on The Tonight Show last Friday. The joke was edited out before the show was broadcast. Berry was reportedly showing Leno computer-distorted pictures of herself and pointed out one in which she has a large nose and said, "Here’s where I look like my Jewish cousin." Reportedly no one laughed and Leno said, "I’m glad you said that and not me." Berry then reportedly said, "Oh my God, have I like just ruined my career?" When the show aired that night the word "Jewish" was replaced with a laugh track.

Since then Berry has been backtracking and issuing apologies left and right. She reportedly said, "I so didn’t mean to offend anybody – and after the show I realized it could be seen as offensive, so I asked Jay to take it out and he did." Berry went on to try and explain saying, "What happened was, I was backstage before the show, and I have three girls who are Jewish who work for me. We were going through pictures to see which ones looked silly, and one of my Jewish friends said [of the big-nose picture], ‘That could be your Jewish cousin!’ And I guess it was fresh in my mind, and it just came out of my mouth. But I didn’t mean to offend anybody. I didn’t. I didn’t mean any harm."

Berry is expecting her first child with boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, 32, in the spring. This is the first child for both. Berry and Aubry met in November 2005 during a shoot for a Versace advertisement in Los Angeles. They made their first debut as a couple in February 2006 at a Versace boutique opening in New York City. Berry, who has been married twice before, has said that she will never remarry. She is currently promoting her new film Things We Lost in a Fire.