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After Andy Dick's inevitable attempt at cashing in on the Michael Richards N-word controversy—by screaming it at a crowd at The Improv and proceeding to outrage precisely no one—comes the further inevitability of the apology that no one asked for or wanted, but which nevertheless serves a valuable purpose through its headline-generating properties alone:

The 40-year-old actor-comedian issued an apology through his publicist.

"I chose to make a joke about a subject that is not funny," said the statement, which was provided to the Los Angeles Times. "In an attempt to make light of a serious subject, I have offended a lot of people, and I am sorry for my insensitivity. I wish to apologize to Ian, to the club and its patrons and to anyone who was hurt or offended by my remark."

All cynicism aside, it's nice to see that Hollywood's Coke-Fueled Clown Prince of Bodily Violation can admit when he may have finally pushed the envelope too far in his seemingly neverending quest for the cheap, shock-based laugh; now that Dick has made amends, he can return to more familiar and socially acceptable subject matter, such as bragging to reporters that he and his teenage son are often confused with "lovers, because he's so handsome."