Brie Larson just apologized for her dolphin Instagram, and here’s why that’s important

Brie Larson has long since won our hearts with her honesty and humor. And yet, she’s at it again, this time using a previous Instagram that earned her nearly 30,000 likes. This past Friday, Brie posted a throwback Instagram of herself petting a dolphin that appears to be in a of tank meant solely for that purpose:

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A post shared by Brie Larson (@brielarson)

In the photo, she is clearly thrilled. (Also a great deal younger.)

Of course, it did not take long before she received a flood of comments from people lecturing her for seemingly supporting dolphin captivity:

“Those animals are being enslaved for your entertainment. Just saying,” wrote jnz1016.

“Don’t support dolphins in captivity please, it’s just like#Roomthemovie but for dolphins. You better than that guuuuurl,” snicketysnack wrote.

What followed was a long list of commentators arguing over animal rights. And Brie took these comments incredibly seriously, even editing the original post:

  “EDIT: I do not support animal cruelty.”

She then posted a long apology in a subsequent post:

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A post shared by Brie Larson (@brielarson)

“I forgot that through social media and random interviews you do not know all the facets of me and what my concerns are. We should be concerned about the well-being of all animals. Yes, Dolphins. Along with every other creature. There are problems with animals in captivity. There are problems with animals living in the wild. It has always been a priority of mine to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I apologize if the photo appeared to endorse animal cruelty.”