Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres (62) has caused controversy with her fans with an unfortunate statement. In her program, she compared her time in quarantine with a stay in prison. And that while she lives in a huge villa and has an estimated 414 million euros in her bank account.
Now that the recordings of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ cannot take place in a TV studio due to the corona crisis, Ellen presents her program from her living room. As usual, she started Tuesday night’s episode with a monologue. In it she tells about her time in quarantine with wife Portia de Rossi. “You can compare it to being in a cell. I’ve been wearing the same clothes for ten days and everyone here is a lesbian, ”said the talk show host.
Obviously, Ellen’s comment was meant as a joke, but the social media presenter received a lot of criticism. Especially since DeGeneres spends her self-isolation in a huge villa in Santa Barbara with an estimated price tag of 24.8 million euros. The house has no fewer than eight bedrooms, ten bathrooms and an infinity pool . You can be locked up in worse places.
“Right now, people in prisons are dying from the coronavirus and Ellen jokes about it. This is inappropriate, ”sneered a viewer on Twitter. Caroline Framke, TV reviewer at Variety, was also keen: “Ellen stands by as thousands of prisoners hope for the best without soap and basic protection.”
However, the presenter meant well. “The best thing I can do is keep the show running,” she continued in her program. “If you feel sad, I want to cheer you up. If you feel trapped, I want to make you feel free. I understand that it is difficult for many people. I feel bad about that. But I would like to cheer people up a bit. I want to light a candle where the sun doesn’t shine. ”
What a great look for Ellen as thousands of people sit in actual jail cells just hoping for the best without soap and basic protections https://t.co/RBytt0Kl4B
— Caroline Darya Framke (@carolineframke) April 7, 2020
Shut the fuck up, Ellen. Jesus Christ. https://t.co/0TLyuVrFRE
— 🕸🧛🏻♂️ 𝔄𝔴𝔣𝔲𝔩𝔩𝔶𝔖𝔦𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯 🧛🏻♂️🕸 (@hexxzander) April 7, 2020
Ellen DeGeneres is facing backlash for comparing her self-isolation experience to being in prison. pic.twitter.com/vAAuqGCHDU
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 8, 2020