Emily Blunt has responded to the backlash she received after a resurfaced interview saw her fat-shaming another woman.
The Mary Poppins Returns star was called out by social media users after a 2012 interview from The Johnathan Ross Show re-gained traction online and showed the 40-year-old body shaming a woman when recalling an anecdote. Watch the moment below:
In the clip, the Quiet Place star told a story in which she visited Chili's - a casual fast-food restaurant chain in the States - and had an interaction with a waitress whom she described as "enormous."
It began when the host started telling the live audience about his personal experience visiting the food chain, emphasizing that the food portions were much larger than those seen in the United Kingdom.
"Have you ever been to Chili's?", he asks the crowd before going on to say: "Man, you go to Chili's [and] you can see why so many of our American friends are enormous."
Blunt laughs before Ross continues: "I ordered a starter there once and it was like four mini burgers and they were as big as proper burgers!"
The actress seemingly agrees, saying: "Yeah," and then adding: "Well, the girl who was serving me was enormous. You know, I think she got freebie meals at Chili's."
"Nothing wrong with that," Ross responds.
"And she [the server] goes, 'Anyone ever tell you you look a lot like Emily Blunt?'", she continued in a thick, southern American accent. "And I said: 'I have heard that, yes.'"
While the live audience may have laughed at Blunt's story at the time, people on social media have been left disappointed upon rewatching the star - with some people accusing her of fat-shaming.
After the clip was reposted to TikTok last week, hundreds of users took to the comments to express their opinions on the matter.
"I’m still trying to figure out how her being 'enormous' adds to the story. Emily Blunt is a mean girl," wrote one user while another emphasized a similar sentiment writing: "Wow. Fat shaming. Emily Blunt’s true colors are awful."
Others empathized with the unnamed server, commenting: "Imagine the waitress having told everyone she met lovely Emily Blunt only to hear Emily say *this* on TV."
And this user also agreed saying: "The fact that this poor waitress probably told people this story with such excitement, just to hear Emily Blunt call her enormous."
Others also addressed the issue in full videos, explaining how internalized fatphobia can play out in everyday life in situations like this one.
After all the backlash, the 40-year-old has now addressed the scandal in a new statement to PEOPLE.
"I just need to address this head on as my jaw was on the floor watching this clip from 12-years ago," Blunt says in the statement, apologetic for her behavior. "I’m appalled that I would say something so insensitive, hurtful, and unrelated to whatever story I was trying to tell on a talk show."
She continued: "I’ve always considered myself someone who wouldn’t dream of upsetting anyone so whatever possessed me to say anything like this in that moment is unrecognizable to me or anything I stand for. And yet it happened, and I said it and I’m so sorry for any hurt caused.
"I was absolutely old enough to know better," she added.
