“I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay.”
American comedian and TV icon, Ellen DeGeneres has come under some fire from social media users for making an ‘expensive’ joke about her coronavirus quarantine experience [1]. The 62-year-old is currently isolating in one of her California mansions with her wife, Portia De Rossi. Like many other TV show hosts, Ellen deiced to continue “The Ellen Show” from her home, and the first episode since the three-week lockdown was released on Monday, April 6.
Ellen began by expressing her gratitude to all front-liners and health care workers giving the best in the global fight against the pandemic.
“Today, I applaud you. Usually, I walk out and people applaud me but I’m applauding you today,” she said, sitting cross-legged in her armchair while her wife worked the camera. “Nurses, doctors, hospital staff, first responders, supermarket employees, truck drivers, everyone who keeps us going. Thank you so much.”
“I wanted to start doing my new show as soon as possible because it’s really for people who are stuck at home, and especially my staff and crew,” she continued. “I love them, I miss them, and the best thing I can do to support them is to keep the show on the air.”
Then she jokingly said, “One thing that I’ve learned from being in quarantine is that this is like being in jail.” She laughed at her own joke adding, “It’s mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay.”
While Ellen said a great deal of positive and encouraging words to her viewers, her joke about incarceration did not sit well with many people. Lots of viewers on YouTube and Twitter were quick to call her out. While Ellen is not the first person who has joked about the unprecedented quarantine or likened it to jail time, she’s caught more heat than anyone else has.
A lot of the commenters were offended that Ellen would compare a $27-million mansion to a state or federal prison.
Others were offended that she would even joke about the concept of incarceration as a whole. “Putting humans in cages is not funny,” one commenter wrote.
One particular tweet that garnered a lot of reactions and retweets called Ellen out for complaining when there are actually people who are exposed to major risks everyday – the front-liners and essential workers.
Some others used a few choice words on Ellen to express their disappointment, while a few people insisted she gives away her fortune to charity (despite Ellen’s strong reputation as a philanthropist).
Ellen, who was blasted last month for joking about boredom while lying on the couch at home has not made any statement on the matter. However, the part where she made the joke was quietly edited out of the video.
Read: Watch Ellen Give This Heroic Teacher the Surprise of Her Life (Try Not to Cry)
Fear looms in the correction sector as pandemic worsens
Cramped locations are the most vulnerable places for anyone to be amid the deadly pandemic crisis, and prison officials in Los Angeles, California, have been releasing inmates and making fewer arrests to reduce the risk of an outbreak in the system [2].
“Our population within our jails is a vulnerable population just by who they are, where they are located, so we’re protecting that population from potential exposure,” said Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
According to the New York Department of Correction, there have been at least 400 staff members and 280 inmates infected by the coronavirus, and at least 7 persons have died [3].
Thinking about it, Ellen (in her usually sunny demeanor) probably meant no derogation or disrespect to people who are incarcerated or to their families and friends. The idea of jail and confinement is strongly relative, and everyone could feel trapped no matter where they are. She mentioned that she misses her staff, crew, and audiences, and her show is now being aired from home as a way to help people find some cheer in these dark times.
Keep Reading: How New Zealand “Flattened The Curve” And Beat Coronavirus Into Submission
- Ben Henry. Ellen DeGeneres Is Facing A Huge Backlash After Joking That The Coronavirus Quarantine Is “Like Being In Jail”. Buzz Feed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/benhenry/ellen-degerenes-jokes-quarantine-like-being-in-jail. Retrieved 13-04-2020
- Salvador Hernandez. Los Angeles Is Releasing Inmates Early And Arresting Fewer People Over Fears Of The Coronavirus In Jail. Buzz Feed. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/los-angeles-coronavirus-inmates-early-release. Retrieved 13-04-2020
- Quarantine like jail joke brings fierce backlash for Ellen DeGeneres. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ellen/quarantine-like-jail-joke-brings-fierce-backlash-for-ellen-degeneres-idUSKCN21Q342. Retrieved 13-04-2020
- The Ellen Show. Ellen Is Back, Sharing Words of Encouragement from Her Living Room. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54tKQb-buas. Retrieved 13-04-2020
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