Ashley Benson Apologizes for Controversial Cecil the Lion Halloween Costume, Blames Management

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Ashley Benson (Instagram)

UPDATE: On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Ashley Benson apologized for offending fans with her Cecil the Lion costume Instagram post… and pointed a few fingers.

“Yesterday’s post was in poor taste and I absolutely regret all of the hurt that photo caused,” she shared on Instagram. “The caption that was posted was incorrect and my costume was not Cecil the Lion, when I saw that, I contacted my management who handled the post and had it immediately changed. I recognize that I am responsible for everything posted on my social accounts and this was an unfortunate oversight. I am a supporter of Animal conservation and I will be donating all the proceeds of this deal to the World Wildlife Fund. I love you all and I apologize if I let you down.”

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Roar? Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson is the latest celeb to make a Halloween faux pas, and it’s not even Oct. 31 yet! The ABC Family actress (or should we say the Freeform actress?) is in hot water for a controversial Instagram post involving her potential costume for this year’s festivities.

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Benson originally captioned her Instagram photo: “Help! Can’t decide on my Halloween costume this year! What do you guys think of this cecil the lion costume? @yandy #thanksyandy #halloweencostume.”

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But fans didn’t take too kindly to Benson, 25, making light of the now-deceased 13-year-old lion, who was killed earlier this year by an American dentist who reportedly paid $50,000 to hunt the famed animal.

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Cecil the Lion (YouTube)

After getting some backlash online, Benson changed her wording to simply read, “What do you guys think of this lion costume?”

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That didn’t stop fans from calling her out in the comments. One follower wrote: “you called it ‘Cecil the Lion!’ #clueless #smh #insensitive,” and another added, ”It’s a shame lions can’t wear dead ignorant humans as costumes. Totally unaware douche.”

(Originally published on Wednesday, October 7, 2015, at 8:11 a.m. PT)