Jessie Buckley has now declared herself a "lover of cats" following a wave of online criticism sparked by a resurfaced podcast interview.
The Oscar favourite found herself in hot water after clips from her appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast went viral, showing her and Hamnet co-star Paul Mescal making some rather unflattering remarks about felines.
During the November interview promoting their critically acclaimed historical drama, Ms Buckley admitted she was not particularly fond of cats, while Mr Mescal chimed in with a blunt "f*** cats."
Host Josh Horowitz warned the pair such bold declarations could prove career-damaging, but the 36-year-old actress doubled down with an anecdote that really got cat lovers' backs up.
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Jessie Buckley was ridiculed for her views on cats
|GETTY
Ms Buckley revealed that when she first started dating her now-husband, he owned two cats.
One of them, which she described as a "pedigree model b***h", apparently took an instant dislike to her.
"She staged like a coup against me," the Kerry-born actress explained.
"I'd come home and there'd just be poo on my pillow."
Clips from the podcast circulated online
|Happy Sad Confused podcast
Faced with this feline hostility, Ms Buckley issued her partner with a stark choice: "It's me or the cats."
The actress gleefully confirmed she emerged victorious from this standoff, adding "But I won!"
She had even acknowledged before telling the story it might land her in trouble, joking she was "going to get cancelled" for sharing it.
The online reaction was indeed swift and unforgiving.
Jessie Buckley appeared on the pod alongside Paul Mescal
|Happy Sad Confused podcast
On Reddit, one user wrote: "Getting rid of your pets for someone is crazy. Asking someone to do that is even crazier."
Another commenter didn't hold back: "So vile to make someone get rid of their pets. And her husband is a loser for doing so."
Over on X, fans labelled the ultimatum a major "red flag," with one posting: "I like Jessie Buckley a lot as an actress, but her gleefully retelling the story of giving her husband the ultimatum of rehoming his cats when they got together..."
They continued: "Not to be dramatic, but that genuinely makes me think less of her."
Another added: "She made her husband get rid of his cats when they met. And laughed about it like it's funny."
The timing of this viral controversy is rather interesting, given that the Academy Awards voting closed last night.
Ms Buckley, who picked up a win at the Actor Awards last weekend, remains the clear favourite to take home the best actress Oscar when the ceremony takes place on Sunday next week.
Despite the negative publicity, most observers don't expect the cat kerfuffle to dent her chances significantly.
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Jessie Buckley is up for an Oscar
|GETTY
Some have even questioned whether there might be something more calculated behind the clip resurfacing at such a crucial moment in the awards race.
As one commentator put it, perhaps it's time to "give Jessie Buckley a break and let her celebrate her recent success."
"Good god, can you not 'talk shite' anymore?" they added.
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