UPDATE: On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Ashley Benson apologized for offending fans with her Cecil the Lion costume Instagram post. “Yesterday’s post was in poor taste and I absolutely regret all of the hurt that photo caused,” she shared on Instagram. “The caption that was posted was incorrect and my costume was not Cecil the Lion, when I saw that, I contacted my management who handled the post and had it immediately changed. I recognize that I am responsible for everything posted on my social accounts and this was an unfortunate oversight. I am a supporter of Animal conservation and I will be donating all the proceeds of this deal to the World Wildlife Fund. I love you all and I apologize if I let you down.”
—-
Roar? Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson is the latest celeb to make a Halloween faux pas, and it’s not even Oct. 31 yet! The ABC Family actress (or should we say the Freeform actress?) is in hot water for a controversial Instagram post involving her potential costume for this year’s festivities.
According to several screengrabs from various sites, Benson originally captioned her Instagram photo: “Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year! What do you guys think of this cecil the lion costume? @yandy #thanksyandy #halloweencostume.”
But fans didn’t take too kindly to Benson, 25, making light of the now-deceased 13-year-old lion, who was killed earlier this year by an American dentist who reportedly paid $50,000 to hunt the famed animal. 
After getting some backlash online, Benson changed her wording to simply read, “What do you guys think of this lion costume?”
That didn’t stop fans from calling her out in the comments. One follower wrote: “you called it ‘Cecil the Lion!’ #clueless #smh #insensitive,” and another added, ”It’s a shame lions can’t wear dead ignorant humans as costumes. Totally unaware douche.”
