While broadcasting her first show from the living room of her $24 million mansion earlier this week, Ellen cracked a joke about being in quarantine that didn’t land with, well, anyone.
“This is like being in jail, is what it is,” she said. “It’s mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay.”
Twitter criticism ensued, with many calling out the comic for cracking a passé joke about prisoners being gay and making light of a deadly global pandemic as she safely shelters inside her multi-million dollar luxury compound in Southern California.
Related: Ellen just compared quarantining in her $24 million mansion to being in jail where “everyone is gay”
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Ellen hasn’t responded to backlash. At least not publicly. She did, however, try to quietly scrub the joke from the internet.
The Washington Post reports: “As of Wednesday afternoon, the YouTube video appeared to have been made private, and a tweeted version sent from the show’s account had been deleted.”
CNN adds: “The video, which as of Wednesday afternoon was listed as ‘unavailable’ on YouTube, was deemed ‘tone deaf’ by some viewers, who responded to the episode in the comments section of the platform.”
Today, the video is back up on Ellen’s channel, though it appears the joke has been edited out. The negative comments criticizing her for it, however, are all still live.
Related: People are coming out of the woodwork to accuse Ellen Degeneres of ‘mean’ behavior
“She’s in fabulous jail,” a comment left yesterday says. “Where she wakes up to a freshly made latte, sits in her beautiful sunroom and cries about not being able to leave.”
“A little tone-deaf,” one from two days ago reads. “Your prison looks lovely.”
“Cool comparison to prison while owning several mansions,” another one from two days ago says.
The 62-year-old comic has been the target of a lot of criticism.
Last fall, she came under fire for her friendships with George W. Bush, who pushed anti-LGBTQ legislation during his time in office, and NFL star Drew Brees, who was outed for being a longtime partner of the antigay hate group Focus on the Family.
And just last month, several of Ellen’s former employees, as well as people who have met her in public, came out to accuse her of being secretly mean.
Watch Ellen’s edited video below.
1898
can we just cancel her now and get it over with?
Floofster
Oh, go away Snowflake.
The world would be miserable if it was filled with people like you.
Cam
Maybe she can Skype with her good buddy George Bush and laugh about him pushing a constitutional amendment that would have made her marriage to Portia illegal.
zimmy88
Then they can both call Clinton to say thanks for DOMA and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell!
boymikefl
If she said, “The sky’s blue,” you’d jump on her. If people mean to say something hurtful, that’s one thing. If you twist it, maybe you’re going crazy in quarentine.
Tad
Look, many of her former staff have accused her being mean. Let’s put it this way, very few celebs of her rank get where they are from being milquetoast. They usually are aggressively focused and obsessively desirous of fame, fortune and success. She’s no different. Sadly, she’s also a little entitled, insensitive and clueless, it appears, which is why she felt her comments her at all witty, pithy or humorous. We’ll see if this hurts her in the long run or is but a minor bleep in her fame and fortune. She’s not the first self-serving opportunist to make it big and won’t be the last. Hopefully, she’s learned from this incident. Hopefully, her material wealth has not blocked her ability for personal growth.
ScottOnEarth
Great comment….I do, however, think that her material success has made her into an insufferable, disconnected narcissist.
Cam
There’s a difference between being driven, and illegally abusive.
Stephen
Humor should never be taken seriously. It’s how we all feel. Trapped with a day pass or two a week. Shaming the wealthy for feeling trapped in better homes? Your guilt not hers. And she and Portia aregay. So to them everyone is gay! Fact!
And if the divisiveness is so bad, let’s break it down. We all have to talk across the divides. Let’s get the facts. She did not know Bush was going to be at that game. They both proved to rise above differences and dialogue just as people. They had fun.
This fast to judge in the land of innocent until proven guilty is the greatest American hypocrisy and outright at least – irony. Lighten up and chill. She took it down or edited it. So stop the shame. Get over feeling different from the very poor and the very rich. Ain’t no difference if you cannot have freedom to come and go. It’s a feeling of no choice we all share.
Redheadfae
Secretly mean? You’ve got to be kidding.
Her obvious glee at humiliating, startling and pranking people hasn’t given you a clue about her personality?
She’s the kid who puts whoopee cushions on the teachers’ chairs, and gum under the lunch table, while tripping the bookish kid and laughing at the one falling down the stairs.
Bob LaBlah
Ellen has always come off to me as one of those strangers you talked to on the street for a hot second to get directions or make a comment about something you both just saw, have a laugh or enjoy a smile with and thats the end of it. The last time you will ever see her and won’t ever think about again even if you think about the event that happened you both saw. There is nothing lasting about her or her presence. She does look like a cute little boy but overall she is overexposed. Thanks to gay, gay, gay she was elevated to stardom by those who always feel a boot against their neck but just where is her talent. Did she sell out Dodger Stadium with an on the road comedy tour? I mean really. Even Rupaul won an Emmy and beyond wearing a dress or singing a song that he didn’t write what else is he good for other than being told where to stand and what to say? Lets get real about these people.
rdcl170
Not even a fan of Ellen, but this just goes to show peoples willingness to whine about anything. Bored people in quarantine looking to amuse themselves by bringing everyone to justice. Get a grip lol
averageguy40
Sounds like a case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” Everyone is quick to be offended. In a world where we all claim to be tolerant of those different than ourself, we are certainly short on tolerance. If you don’t like her, or what she stands for just move on. It’s a lot easier than trying to recruit believers to join your campaign. In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
LumpyPillows
I agree.
LumpyPillows
We’ve got Dumbo-in-chief killing people with his ineptitude, greed and ego and people have time to complain about an Ellen joke? You people need help.
Mack
I have to agree with you 100% People are complaining about the wrong things. Some jokes make it, some don’t.
GayEGO
Everyone makes mistakes now and then, but Trump is a mistake and should be removed from office.
Woteva
NO! He’ll always be good for makeup and hair tips…
glennmcbride
I love Ellen and she has done a lot of good, she is a role model and I admire her. Is she perfect? No, but neither am I nor are any of the people criticizing her.
Black Pegasus
Looks like she reached out to her friends at Twitter and YouTube to have the video automatically flagged. That’s what you do when you’re a rich tone deaf b! tch….
OhHellNo
What did you expect? She used to be an activist, once they offered her big bucks it was dancing trained monkey time. She gives a lot of money and things to people? No, that’s her sponsors, doesn’t cost her a penny. He ain’t special.