Emily Blunt Apologizes Over U.S. Citizenship Joke

British actor Emily Blunt apologized on NBC's Today show after joking about her political citizenship earlier this week.

It all began when Blunt angered Fox News after joking about her U.S. citizenship to The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday. Blunt was quoted as saying, "I became an American citizen recently, and that night, we watched the Republican debate and I thought, 'This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?'"

The actress, who was promoting her new film Sicario at the time, faced harsh criticism from social media and fellow members of the industry for her comments. Anna Kooiman, an anchor on Fox's morning show, was particularly incensed after she told Blunt to "leave Hollywood, California and let some of the American women take the roles that you're getting because American citizens are watching your movies and lining your pockets."

Fox also criticised comments Blunt made to U.S. chat show host Jimmy Kimmel earlier this month about the day she received her U.S. citizenship. The actor said: "I'm not sure I'm entirely thrilled about it. People ask me about the whole day. They were like, 'Oh, it must have been so emotional.' I was like, 'It wasn't, It was sad!' I like being British."

In an interview with Today's Savannah Guthrie, Blunt addressed the issue and apologized: "It was so not the intention to hurt anybody or cause any offense, so I really apologize to those that I caused offense. It was just an offhand joke. I think I'll probably leave the political jokes to late night or something."

The Edge of Tomorrow star also explained how being granted U.S. citizenship earlier this month was "really meaningful. You know, I mean, my two favorite people in the world are American—my husband [John Krasinski] and my daughter. It was kind of a special day. Yeah, it was great."

Sicario hits theaters October 2 in the U.S. and September 18 in the U.K.