Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) pushed back on media accounts of her being kicked out of a Denver theater production of “Beetlejuice” last week over bad behavior, saying that some accounts were exaggerated and untrue.
“I was a little too eccentric. I’m very known for having an animated personality, maybe overtly animated personality. I was laughing, I was singing, having a fantastic time,” Boebert said in an OAN interview Sunday. “Was told to kinda settle it down a little bit, which I did, but then my next flip up was taking a picture.”
Video from the evening shows Boebert causing a disturbance during the performance, including vaping and taking flash photography. While being escorted out of the theater, video appears to show her giving the finger to security guards.
The controversial congresswoman garnered widespread criticism for her behavior, mostly online.
Her office previously denied the vaping allegations, but Boebert went back on the story and apologized Friday.
“The past few days have been difficult and humbling, and I’m truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community,” Boebert said in a Facebook post. “While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that.”
The Associated Press reported that Boebert and her date argued with theater security while leaving, with the congresswoman at one point saying “I will be contacting the mayor.”
Boebert vehemently denied those claims.
“There’s reports saying I was arguing, threatening to call the Denver mayor — I don’t know why I would ever call the Denver mayor, I think he would have tried to lock me up,” she said Sunday.
In the Friday apology, she attributed part of her behavior to a recent divorce and other personal challenges.
“I’ve tried to handle it with strength and grace as best I can, but I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry,” she said.