After Criticism, Ellen DeGeneres Expands Thoughts On Black Lives Matter

Ellen DeGeneres urged “justice for all” as she responded to nationwide protests against police brutality and racial inequality in an emotional video posted to her social media platforms this week. 

Her latest message, however, came days after she deleted a heavily criticized tweet related to the same issue. 

“I have always wanted to be the voice for people who feel like they don’t have a voice, because I know what that feels like,” DeGeneres said in the clip, viewable below. “I’m just so sorry that it’s come to this. I really don’t know what to say other than this has gone on way, way, way, way too long.”

The talk show host didn’t mention George Floyd by name in the video. Still, she indirectly referenced the Minnesota security guard, who died last week after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. 

“People have gotten away with murder,” she said. “That’s what is happening. So we’ve gotta see fairness and we’ve gotta see justice for all, because right now, this is not a fair world. Not at all.”

“We have a long way to go to even get close to being fair,” she continued. “If you don’t understand this, then you have never felt like you weren’t heard or you weren’t equal. But if you’ve ever felt that, magnify it and see what’s happening.”

DeGeneres’ video comes just days after she faced a barrage of criticism for a similarly worded tweet. 

“Like so many of you, I am angry and I am sad,” she wrote, according to Insider. “People of color in this country have faced injustice for far too long. For things to change, things must change. We must commit ourselves to this change with conviction and love.” 

The tweet, which has since been deleted, didn’t go over well among her followers.

A day later, DeGeneres clarified her stance with a pair of tweets in which she said she supported those “who are exercising their rights and standing up against the horrible injustices that Black people in America face everyday.”

She went on to pledge donations to a number of organizations, including the George Floyd Memorial Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union. 

In her Monday video, DeGeneres acknowledged the criticism her latest remarks could potentially instigate, noting, “I know I’m not going to say the right thing.” 

“I know that there are going to be a lot of people who are going to be in disagreement with what I say,” she added. “I have always wanted to be the voice for people that felt like they didn’t have a voice because I know what that feels like. Maybe you don’t agree with how it’s coming out, but you have to understand it, and then we can heal it.”

With Hollywood shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, DeGeneres relaunched “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” from her Los Angeles home in April after a three-week hiatus. 

Still, her virtual return to the airwaves has been spotty. In her April 6 opening monologue, she likened her quarantine life to “being in jail,” prompting fans to accuse her of having a flippant take on the incarcerated population. 

An April 16 Variety article accused DeGeneres of hiring a third-party company, as opposed to seasoned members of her behind-the-scenes crew, to produce her show remotely.