Emily Blunt’s Fat-Shaming Comments Resurface — Read Her Apology

Emily Blunt has apologized for using insensitive language in an appearance on a 2012 talk show. Fans have discovered a YouTube clip from Blunt’s September 2012 appearance on the Jonathan Ross Show, during which she refers to a restaurant server as “enormous” when discussing her time filming Looper in the U.S.

“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 a statement to PEOPLE. “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.”

“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,” she adds. “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.”

Blunt recalled in the video that she had eaten dinner at a Chili’s restaurant during filming. Talk show host Jonathan Ross told Blunt, “If you go to Chili’s, you can see why so many of our American friends are enormous. I ordered a starter once, and it was four mini burgers, but they were as big as proper burgers!”

Blunt replied, “The girl that was serving me was enormous, you know, I think she got freebie meals at Chili’s.” To which Ross quickly replied, “Nothing wrong with that.” In her best southern American accent, Blunt continued, “She comes up, and she goes, ‘Did anyone ever tell you you look a lot like Emily Blunt?’ And I said, ‘I have heard that, yes.’ And she went, ‘Are you Emily Blunt?’ And I went, ‘Yeah.’

“She went, ‘What are y’all doin’ here?!’ And then she was like, ‘Are y’all shootin’ a movie here?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m shooting a film called Looper.’ And she went, ‘Looper? Y’all just made that up.’”

While the comment got a few laughs, TikTok viewers are furious. They have shared the video online and called the comments “unnecessary.” One user wrote, “Ok, but ‘and the girl serving us was ENORMOUS. I think she got freebie meals’ was definitely unnecessary.”

Another posted:”‘You can tell she gets freebie meals’ bro, what did she do to you!?” A third said: “To the waitress who served Emily Blunt. I am so sorry, you do not deserve the disrespect you got from her. What could’ve been a neat story about a nice waitress and getting recognised ruined off the bat with fat phobia.”

“Great job Emily,” a fourth wrote. “So it sounded like the waitress was kind and funny. Better make sure to insult her on television,” one fan sarcastically commented. Another wrote: “Damn that girl probably felt like s— hearing Emily call her enormous and stuff… It sounds like she was really nice too.”