Lemony Snicket (real name Daniel Handler) failed epically as he was hosting the National Book Awards by making an alleged racist comment towards black American writer Jacqueline Woodson.

After Woodson collected her award for the book "Brown Girl Dreaming," Lemony Snicket reportedly recalled an exchange that he had said he would only make public if she won, stating that he had learned that the author was allergic to watermelon, according to the Associated Press.

When Snicket reportedly suggested she write this fact in a book, Woodson responded by saying the he should mention it.

"And I said, 'I'm only writing a book about a black girl who's allergic to watermelon if I get a blurb from you, Cornel West, Toni Morrison and Barack Obama saying, 'This guy's OK. This guy's fine," Lemony Snicket told the crowd.

Handler has since apologized for the joke that he made at the National Book Awards.

"My job at last night's National Book Awards #NBAwards was to shine a light on tremendous writers, including Jacqueline Woodson and not to overshadow their achievements with my own ill-conceived attempts at humor. I clearly failed, and I'm sorry," Handler said on Twitter, according to The Guardian.

David Perry, who blogs on language, power and privilege, reportedly called Handler out for telling a joke abut watermelon during a moment that was incredibly important and meaningful in Woodson's literary career.

"For a powerful white author to make a watermelon joke when handing out an award to a black author, the message is - no matter what you write, no matter what you do, no matter what you accomplish, you will alway be a BLACK author, not just an author," wrote Perry.