<p>MILAN — A Swiss-Italian television host apologized Wednesday for mimicking Asians on a satirical TV program after her actions drew protests on social media. </p>
<p>“I am truly sorry and I apologize if I hurt anybody,’’ Michelle Hunziker said in English in a video posted on Instagram. “I realize we are in a time when people are sensitive about their rights, and I have been so naïve not to take that into consideration.”</p>
<p>She added: “I am the furthest thing from racist.”</p>
<p>Hunziker and co-host Gerry Scotti made slanted-eye gestures and mimicked an Asian accent on the TV show “Striscia la Notizia” (“The News Crawls”) aired by the private Italian network Mediaset. </p>
<p>In her Instagram post, Hunziker acknowledged the U.S.-based content producers behind the fashion watchdog account Diet Prada, who along with bloggers living in Italy had called out the gestures as racist. </p>
<p>Hunziker is married to Tomaso Trussardi, chairman of Trussardi fashion house. </p>
<p>Last week, a Black Lives Matters protest was held outside the Rome studios of Italy’s RAI state television over on-air racist language and the use of blackface on one show. Another round of protests targeted Hunziker and Scotti for laughing at a skit on their show that used racist language to describe African children. </p>
