Emma Stone shouted 'I'm sorry!' during the Golden Globes as Sandra Oh cracked that Crazy Rich Asians was the first film with an Asian lead since Aloha, which Stone starred in.
The lead character for Ghost in the Shell is Japanese but was played by Scarlett Johansson, who like Stone, is also white.
The apology from Stone was not captured on cameras so it was difficult to tell where it came from at first, but those in the crowd confirmed it came from the actress at her table.
It was an apology that shocked the internet and viewers, who couldn't confirm what they'd heard right away.
'Emma Stone screaming 'I'm sorry' should be my ringtone,' another tweeted.
Stone has previously spoken about the fallout from her accepting the Aloha role, saying it taught her about the issue of whitewashing in the film industry.
'I've learned on a macro level about the insane history of whitewashing in Hollywood and how prevalent the problem truly is. It's ignited a conversation that's very important,' Stone said in 2015.