Shaun White, Olympics Snowboarder, Apologizes for Controversial Halloween Costume

Legendary Olympic snowboarder Shaun White apologized to the Special Olympics for donning a controversial Halloween costume at a recent party.

Like a lot of Americans, White sought inspiration for his costume from movie characters and chose to dress as Simple Jack from the 2008 film “Tropic Thunder.”

But after posting a picture of himself dressed up, the 32-year-old got flak since Simple Jack was a mentally challenged character.

“It was a last minute decision,” he said on Twitter. “It was the wrong one. The Special Olympics were right to call me out on it. They do great work supporting so many tremendous athletes and I am sorry for being insensitive. Lesson learned.”

‘Causes Pain’

The Special Olympics had said in a statement that the Simple Jack costume causes pain.

“We are truly disappointed that Shaun White, an acclaimed Olympian, would choose this costume which is so offensive and causes so much pain,” a representative told TMZ.

The representative added that disability shouldn’t be considered a joke or a costume idea.

“Disability is not a joke nor should it be a punchline. We hope that Shaun White and others learn that this just continues stigma, stereotypes, and discrimination,” it added.

Actor Ben Stiller attends the 'Tropic Thunder' press conference at Peninsula Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan on Nov. 20, 2008. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)