An honest mistake. Kaley Cuoco took to Instagram on Tuesday, July 5, to apologize for posting a pic that "caused lots of controversy" over the Independence Day weekend.
The Big Bang Theory star was criticized for sharing a photo of her dogs sitting on an American flag on Monday, July 4. She subsequently deleted the photo and posted a long note along with an image of a heart emblazoned with the stars and stripes.
"I would like to comment on a photo I posted yesterday, that has caused lots of controversy," the sitcom star, 30, wrote. "First off, please know, I have the utmost respect for my country. I am a proud American in every sense of the word. I understand the American flag stands for our freedom and represents American heroes, past and present."
"Yesterday I made a mistake by posting the picture that was taken of my sweet dogs posing on an American flag," she continued. "I sincerely apologize to anyone that has been offended by my previous post. This is no way reflects my feelings toward what the American flag represents. Living in the public eye, can be extremely difficult at times. Every mistake and every imperfection is amplified. I am not perfect. I am a proud American, today, tomorrow, always."
In the photo, her three dogs wear American flag bandannas while two of them sit on a flag, which is draped on the ground. "Thank you @The_Pet_handler for taking care of the squad while I'm out of town!" she captioned the pic. "4th of July pups!"
Fox News reported that the photo caused outrage online, with critics pointing out that the flag should not touch the ground. One commenter on the Instagram pic claimed that she was being disrespectful to "a symbol of what people have sacrificed."
Despite stirring up heated conversation, it appears that Cuoco enjoyed at least a part of her holiday weekend. She also shared a pic on Instagram of herself and boyfriend Karl Cook wearing flag-theme attire.