Neil Patrick Harris is issuing an apology for a platter he served at a 2011 Halloween party that was decorated to look like late singer Amy Winehouse's corpse.
"A photo recently resurfaced from a Halloween-themed party my husband and I hosted 11 years ago," Harris said in the statement, shared exclusively with Entertainment Weekly. "It was regrettable then, and it remains regrettable now. Amy Winehouse was a once-in-a-generation talent, and I'm sorry for any hurt this image caused."
USA TODAY has reached out to Harris' reps for comment.
An image of the platter made the rounds on Twitter in recent days, with users slamming the "How I Met Your Mother" star and his husband David Burtka for mocking the late singer three months after her death. Winehouse died at age 27 of alcohol poisoning in July 2011.
"The Corpse of Amy Winehouse," reads a small sign next to the platter. "Beef ribs, pulled pork, chicken sausage in a spicy BBQ sauce"
"I don’t care if it was 10 years ago, Neil Patrick Harris getting an 'Amy Winehouse’s Corpse' meat platter 3 months after her tragic death is so disturbing," wrote @justmeji. "That’s someone’s daughter, friend, loved one, and is undeniably her."
"I never saw this!!!" wrote @jessica_tyciak. "Weird, gross…"
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Others defended Harris, saying the outrage was unwarranted.
"The whole Neil Patrick Harris Amy Winehouse thing just shows how bored & pathetic some people are," wrote @SuperNeonZJ. "They’ll bring up something from a decade ago just to pretend like it’s the worst thing ever. Is it in bad taste? A little. But it’s just dark humor for christ sake get over it."
"Tastelessness humor isn’t the same level as abusive or exploitive behavior," wrote @WildBillWellman.
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