Actress Emily Blunt says she regrets telling reporters she reconsidered her American citizenship following the first GOP presidential debate.
“It so was not the intention to hurt anybody or cause any offense, so I really apologize to those that I caused offense,” she told host Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “Today” on Thursday.
“It was just an off-hand joke,” the British movie star added. “I think I’ll probably leave the political jokes to late night or something.”
{mosads}Blunt appeared in a video interview published on Monday and sparked outrage by joking about the first Republican presidential debate last month.
“I became an American citizen recently, and that night, we watched the debate and I thought, ‘This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?’” she quipped.
Blunt said Thursday that attaining U.S. citizenship was an honor she deeply cherishes.
“It’s really meaningful,” she said. “It was a special day.
“My two favorite people in the world are [also] American — my daughter and my husband,” Blunt added, referencing actor John Krasinksi and Haze, their only child.
Blunt also said becoming an American gave her a greater understanding of the United States.
“There was a lot I learned about the Constitution and American history,” she said. “I think I know more about American history than I do British history, which is interesting.”
Blunt’s joke earlier this week earned the ire of Fox News’s “Fox & Friends,” who criticized the performer during a segment on Tuesday.
“Why don’t you leave Hollywood, Calif., and let some American women take on the roles that you’re getting?” asked co-host Anna Kooiman. “Americans are watching your movies and lining your pockets.”
“She has alienated half the country that will now think twice about going to one of her movies,” co-host Steve Doocy added of Blunt, star of new film “Sicario.”
Blunt did, however, have kind words about one of her fellow Americans during the controversial video clip.
“I think Elizabeth Warren is pretty impressive,” she said of the Massachusetts senator, who has ruled out a 2016 Oval Office bid.