Wayne Brady Apologizes for Trig Palin Joke

Wayne Brady says he takes "full responsibility" for using Trig Palin and his Down Syndrome as a punchline at the "Comedy Central Roast of Roseanne" ... insisting "no malice or harm was meant."

Brady has been taking some serious heat for the past week ... over a joke in which he says Sarah Palin hates Jeff Ross because he reminds her of "what Trig is going to look like when he's 40."

Wayne issued a statement on Facebook in which he says he didn't write the Jeff joke but explains, "At the end of the day I take full responsibility for saying it."

He adds, "I could defend it as a performer, but I would rather apologize from the bottom of my heart as a father."

"To the Palins, please know that no malice or harm was meant. To the other families who were touched negatively, I hope you'll be able to accept this apology as well."

Brady was at LAX this weekend ... and told us, "It's a roast, but there are people with sensitivities ... and some people were bothered."