Connick was appearing as a talent judge on Australian TV variety show “Hey Hey It’s Saturday” when five men appeared in blackface singing behind a Michael Jackson impersonator. The act was quickly dismissed when another judge struck a gong, but that wasn’t enough to quiet Connick’s displeasure.

In response to “Hey Hey” host Daryl Sommers’ apology for the skit, Connick said; “I just want to say, on behalf of my country, I know it was done humorously, but we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that we take it really to heart.”

Reaction among Aussie TV viewers was mixed, with some saying the performance was an embarrassing racial incident while others said outrage against the skit was just another sign of too much political correctness.

However, Connick didn’t back down from his opinion and was still talking about the sketch a few days later while doing a promo appearance in Hong Kong, saying he ended up canceling an autograph session and interviews in Sydney to let the controversy die down.

“It was very hot,” Connick said. “It was a subject that was very, very controversial. So we just decided to take a couple of days off. I wasn’t worried about physical harm.”

As to his comments about being offended by the sketch, Connick told the Hong Kong press he did the right thing.

“I’m pleased with the way I handled the situation,” Connick said Wednesday. “I handled it in exactly the manner I thought was appropriate.”

For more on this, please click here for the Associated Press report, “Australian TV Show Apologizes For Blackface Skit.”