My Bad: 25 Years of Public Apologies and the Appalling Behavior That Inspired Them

A collection of famous and infamous apologies - from Janet Jackson to Jesse Jackson, Jarry Falwell to Jerry Lewis - that proves anyone is capable of screwing up, big time.

Whether it's in the field of politics, sports, entertainment, business or religion, to err is human but to err in public is humiliating. In this anthology of apologies ranging from grudging to groveling, both the famous and the infamous seek forgiveness. From Jesse Jackson (for saying "Hymietown") to Janet Jackson (for her wardrobe malfunction), from Hugh Grant (for the hooker) to Bill Clinton (for the intern), from Sen. Bob Packwood (for groping women) to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (for groping women), the public apology has become a cleansing rite of passage for transgressors of all kinds.

My Bad collects the most exquisitely squirm-inducing pleas for forgiveness to have passed the lips of the nation's misbehavers. Both hilarious and educational - did you know that Ted Turner insulted not just the Italians and the Poles but also African-Americans and Christians, or that the lead singer for Blood, Sweat & Tears told his largely Jewish audience that the weather was "as hot as the last train car going to Auschwitz"? - My Bad pays tribute to the wildly entertaining ritual that the public apology has become.

Paul Slansky is the author of The Clothes Have No Emperor and The George W. Bush Quiz Book. His work is frequently featured in The New Yorker. Arleen Sorkin is a film and television writer, producer and actress.