State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie defended Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday for dropping the n-word during a live radio interview.

Heastie, who is black, said he “didn’t take any offense” to Cuomo’s comments on WAMC radio, which came as the gov discussed racism against Italian Americans.

“The Governor was quoting a New York Times story and was using it for context,” said Heastie.

Cuomo cited a Times op-ed by Brent Staples that ran Saturday, about the treatment of Italian Americans in the past — and said the entire n-word while talking about slurs once used against the Italian community.

“They used an expression that southern Italians were called, I believe they were saying southern Italians, Sicilians — I’m half Sicilian — were called, quote-unquote and pardon my language, but I’m just quoting the Times: ‘n—r wops.’ n-word wops, as a derogatory comment,” Cuomo said, slowly and clearly saying the whole inflammatory epithet.

New York State Senator Kevin Parker, who his African American, said also that he was “not at all offended by [Cuomo’s] comments” and that “people are overreacting.”

“The way he said it, it might have been inartful, but it wasn’t inaccurate and he was giving a source of context,” said Parker, who is black.

“I thought he was using it in a very specific, historical context,” he added.

But State Assemblyman Charles Barron — a longtime activist and former Black Panther — blasted Cuomo’s remarks as “very inappropriate” and “disrespectful” and said the gov “owes the black community an apology.”

“He has enough discriminatory words used against Italians not to use the n-word. You don’t have to throw us into it,” Barron said.

Longtime Cuomo critic Bertha Lewis, the founder and president of the Black Institute, said: “There’s no comparison between black people and Italians. Because if he actually believed that he would’ve done a far better job in his last two terms with my people.”