Actor Anthony Anderson's son missed out on the chance to play his dad's kid on new TV sitcom Black-Ish, because of his skin color.

The Kangaroo Jack star, who is also the executive producer of the show, had to break the news to his son after another young star landed the role.

He says, "My son was too black. The show is Black-ish... I was rooting for him."

And the snub was made twice as difficult when Anderson was cast as his son Nathan's dad on Internet show Richie Rich.

The older Anderson explains, "I was hanging out on set with him one day and they (producers) just came and offered me the role of his father on his show... Later on, he tells me, 'You know dad, I'm bigger than you; I got you the job on my show'."