'Big Bang' star Mayim Bialik clarifies joke about fan's painting: 'I'm tough to capture'

Hannah Yasharoff
Updated
'Big Bang' star Mayim Bialik clarifies joke about fan's painting: 'I'm tough to capture'

After being accused of being overly harsh about a fan's painting, Mayim Bialik is clarifying her stance.

The "Big Bang Theory" actress shared a screenshot of a Facebook post, in which a woman, identified as Sarah Ellen, wrote that she was attempting to create "30 paintings in 30 days... 30 minutes each."

She added that the first day was dedicated to Bialik, who she called a "personal hero to me, being a Mental Health Advocate and overall great human being."

"I think a portrait of me needs more than 30 minutes. Still flattering. I think," Bialik captioned the post. "What’s with my teeth, Sarah Ellen!?"

Commenters quickly jumped in, criticizing Bialik appearing to put down her fan.

I think 🤔 a portrait of me needs more than 30 minutes. Still flattering. 😂 I think. What’s with my teeth, Sarah Ellen!? Edit: guess I'll clarify -- I love this painting. Sarah Ellen is a friend of a friend, my friend sent it to me and I thought it was wonderful. It made me laugh in a good way. I'm flattered by the nice things she said, and that she would choose me as a subject! I think I'm tough to capture, and that's what I meant by that. It's me, not you. Thank you, Sarah Ellen, and keep up the great work 😊

A post shared by mayim bialik (@missmayim) on Mar 5, 2019 at 7:16pm PST

"It’s wonderful that you featured a fan’s artwork, but I sincerely hope your comments were simply a poor choice for a use of sarcasm," one fan commented on her Instagram post. "So much praise for you and what you do for mental health but you chose to shame her in front of all of your followers? That doesn’t show a regard for mental health."

Another echoed concern for the artist, hoping she could still "be proud if she stumbles across you, a hero to her, mocking her painting."

"Now you know how Penny felt when she was given that portrait of you two," joked another fan, referencing an episode of "The Big Bang Theory" in which Amy (Bialik) awkwardly gifts Penny (Kaley Cuoco) an enormous portrait of the two of them.

After facing criticism from fans, Bialik edited her caption to add a few thoughts.

"Guess I'll clarify -- I love this painting," she later wrote. "Sarah Ellen is a friend of a friend, my friend sent it to me and I thought it was wonderful. It made me laugh in a good way. I'm flattered by the nice things she said, and that she would choose me as a subject! I think I'm tough to capture, and that's what I meant by that. It's me, not you. Thank you, Sarah Ellen, and keep up the great work."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Big Bang' star Mayim Bialik clarifies joke about fan's painting: 'I'm tough to capture'