Comedian breaks silence after clip of him telling teen Lindsay Lohan 'he likes them young' resurfaces

Back in 2003, Anthony Anderson told then-child star Lindsay Lohan during an interview he 'likes them young.'

Now, with the video having resurfaced this week, representatives of the American comedian have issued a formal statement.

For those in need of a reminder of Anderson's controversial claim, it was made 22 years ago during an appearance as host of the The Sharon Osbourne Show.

Having been asked to fill in for the television personality whilst she was away on business, Anderson sat down with rising star Lindsay Lohan.

The actress was cementing herself a position in the Hollywood hall of fame at the time, having already starred in a number of Disney Channel movie productions, and recently played the lead alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in teen-comedy Freaky Friday.

At the time of her appearance on the talk-show, Lohan was 17 years old.

Anderson kicked off the interview by asking the promising young star what it was like to room with then housemate and fellow Disney alum Raven-Symoné, quickly following it up by claiming the two are 'both beautiful women.'

After chatting about home decor for several seconds, the comedian - who was 33 at the time - then asked Lohan in the damning clip: "What gentleman will be at the new pad?"

"No one," the teenager then responded. "No, I don't have a boyfriend."

Anderson then turned to the audience, shouting out: "Hmmm. She’s single! But looking."

"I’m illegal for people that are old," a visibly uncomfortable Lohan then pointed out.

Lohan was a teenager at the time (J. Merritt/FilmMagic)

"Well, you know some men like them young," Anderson quickly replied. "We ain’t gonna mention no names but, you know, I’m one of them."

Despite over two decades having passed since the comic's unnerving admission was made, his interaction with Lohan was unearthed last week following the passing of original talk-show host Sharon's husband, Ozzy Osbourne.

"He actually said that out loud," one astounded viewer recently wrote.

Another went on to ask: "Is it a rule that to be successful in Hollywood you have to be a complete creep?"

Anthony's team have since released a statement on the matter, claiming no harm was intended by their client's claim.

"This interview was clearly intended as comedy," the star's representatives told Entertainment Weekly on Friday (25 Jul).

"He regrets if the humour was in poor taste and maintains the utmost respect for Lindsay.

Anderson's representatives have since released a statement (Paras Griffin/WireImage)

"Any implication to the contrary is both inaccurate and potentially defamatory."

Tyla also contacted Anderson's representatives for further comment.