Getting a little heat thrown his way on Twitter, Steve Martin made an apology for a post he put up on Friday (December 21), that may have gone a bit too far.

The 68-year-old comedian was engaging in a back-and-forth with fans and followers about grammar, using their questions to make wisecracks and a few jokes at their expense. One fan asked Steve, "Is this how you spell lasonia?"

The "Cheaper By the Dozen" star responded, writing, "It depends. Are you in an African-American neighborhood or at an Italian restaurant?" And, realizing that his joke may have been taken the wrong way, he removed it from his Twitter feed.

When a follower mentioned the remark, Steve tweeted, "In retrospect, bad joke. Sorry about that." And when another fan expressed disappointment in him, Martin wrote, "I did apologize. But again, a second later I realized what an offensive thing I’d done. Deep bow."

The remarks began a hailstorm of conversation involving political correctness, jokes and First Amendment rights. Read the entire conversation on Twitter, decide for yourself, and tell us your thoughts on our Facebook and Twitter pages!