Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Kaley Cuoco apologises for 4th July Instagram photo of her dog sat on the American flag

The actress says she made a mistake and is a 'proud American'

Olivia Blair
Wednesday 06 July 2016 08:45 EDT
Comments
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The social media age has also brought with it the ubiquitous celebrity apology.

High-profile people who choose to share their updates with fans online soon learn that with millions of followers comes the risk of sparking a backlash even from posts shared with the best of intentions.

Take Kaley Cuoco, who has found herself issuing a profusely apologetic Instagram post over a photo she shared of her dog.

On the 4 July, aka Independence Day in the US, the Big Bang Theory actress shared a photo of her three dogs, who were being looked after by a dog sitter, donned with patriotic accessories. Two of the dogs had stars and stripes scarves around their necks and, in the middle, another dog was seen sat on a flag.

While many found the photo of three dogs adorable, the image prompted criticism from others who reportedly accused the 30-year-old of “disrespecting” the flag on Independence day, by having her dog sit on it.

Cuoco has since deleted the original post and now shared an image of the American flag in a heart shape along with a lengthy caption apologising for the apparent “big mistake” she made.

“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.

“[...] 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,” she wrote.

However, many of the comments on the apology post are supportive of Cuoco and question why she even felt the need to say sorry or take the post down.

Why does America celebrate the Fourth of July?

"Oh for the love of Jebus why are you apologising for that??", one Instagram user asked. Another wrote: "As a veteran, I didn't find anything offensive [...] If it had been a beach towel that looked exactly the same nothing would be said." Another commenter added: "I don't see anything wrong with your post of your cute doggies."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in