It's the off-the-cuff crack made by The Voice's Adam Levine that's causing him a lot of grief today.

Levine said he meant it as a joke, when he said, "I hate this country" when two of the singers on his team were voted off the show Tuesday night.

That's right he actually uttered, "I hate this country" under his breath. It's unclear whether he knew his mic was live at the time.

Outraged viewers took to Twitter posting comments like: "Adam Levine, you hate this country? Leave!" And conservative commentator Michelle Malkin called his remark,"full of jerkitude."

But some fans came to his defense, tweeting for people to "leave him alone."

Today, Levine tweeted that it was a "joke," suggesting that his critics are "humorless" and that he's "misunderstood."

By the way, the new issue of People magazine is reporting that Levine is dating supermodel Nina Adgal. She's the stunner who appeared in that Super Bowl ad.

So, as far as Adam Levine is concerned, surely he must think this is a great country!