The Hollywood Reporter reported that the situation started on Friday, when Lee brought up Allen while discussing “cancel culture.”

“I’d just like to say Woody Allen is a great, great filmmaker and this cancel thing is not just Woody,” Lee said . “And I think when we look back on it we are going to see that — short of killing somebody — I don’t know that you can just erase somebody like they never existed.”

The Do The Right Thing director went on to describe Allen as a “friend.”

“Woody is a friend of mine, a fellow Knick fan, so I know he’s going through it right now,” Lee said.

Lee received tons of backlash for this from fans who pointed out that Allen has been accused of molesting his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow when she was just 7 years-old. Allen has long denied these claims, alleging that the girl’s mother Mia Farrow planted the molestation story in her child’s brain as revenge for him divorcing her.

Nevertheless, Lee quickly backed down and issued an apology on Twitter.

“I Deeply Apologize. My Words Were WRONG,” Lee tweeted. “I Do Not And Will Not Tolerate Sexual Harassment, Assault Or Violence. Such Treatment Causes Real Damage That Can’t Be Minimized.-Truly, Spike Lee.”

I Deeply Apologize. My Words Were WRONG. I Do Not And Will Not Tolerate Sexual Harassment, Assault Or Violence. Such Treatment Causes Real Damage That Can’t Be Minimized.-Truly, Spike Lee.

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLeeJoint) June 13, 2020

Lee is currently promoting his new Vietnam War movie Da 5 Bloods, which was released on Friday. He has described the story that is portrayed in the film as timeless given the current political unrest in the country.

“It seems like the United States of America is teetering on the brink,” Lee told Indiewire. “But the thing that gives me hope is to see all across America, my white brothers and sisters who are out in the streets, joining their black and brown brothers and sisters. And in many cases, these demonstrations are in places where there are no black and brown people. Look at Salt Lake City, Utah. Des Moines, Iowa, and all those that around. That is giving me hope.”