Tomi Lahren's Dog Kicking Comment Was 'a Joke,' She Says After Claiming to Boot Pet for Chewing Loudly

Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren has admitted to kicking her dog a number of times during a live appearance on Fox and Friends.

Posting a story to Instagram live on Wednesday, the 25-year-old said her Chihuahua had been making noise while she shot the live segment and explained she had taken action to stop her.

"Why don't you tell the world what you were doing during my entire Fox & Friends hit," Lahren said in a video posted to Instagram following her Wednesday morning appearance on the show. "Oh I know, chewing on her damn bone as loud as she possibly could. So I had to kick her about five times during the show."

Lahren had earlier posted a picture to her Instagram page of her and her dog, Kota, ahead of the appearance on the show, writing, "Just a girl and her dog staying up all night to do @foxandfriends for the east coast. #TeamTomi #Kota #rescuedogsofinstagram."

Following the kicking comment, the media personality was criticized on social media, including by animal rights charity PETA.

"Only a heartless person would kick a dog just for doing what dogs normally do—and a reasonable person would simply have moved out of the way or moved the animal," the charity's Senior Director of Cruelty Casework Stephanie Bell said in a statement to TheWrap.

Lahren now insists her comment was intended as a joke.

"I don't think everyone's upset, I think people are pretty logical and they understand it was a joke," Lahren told a TMZ reporter

When asked directly if she had kicked her dog, Lahren said, "Don't be ridiculous. Anyone who knows me knows I love my dog more than anything in the world."