Ellen DeGeneres has been in the headlines a lot lately, with everyone from star to behind-the-scenes contractors calling her to be ‘mean’ and inconvenient to others – a stark contrast to her persona on the screen. However, controversy is nothing new for DeGeneres, who has been slammed in the past for her habit of bringing unproblematic people to her show, and for appearing to act as a spokeswoman for the LGBTQ community. Her actions did not sit well with viewers, and she has received a lot of negativity from critics on social media.
Ellen DeGeneres broke barriers for the LGBTQ community
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DeGeneres began her career as a stand-up comedian, appearing in comedy clubs around the United States. In the 1980s, DeGeneres appeared in a series of small roles in television and film and earned enough acclaim to receive her very own show in 1994.
In her show Ellen, DeGeneres became a star and received positive reviews for her easy charm and good-natured humor.
In the fourth season of her show, DeGeneres made history and headlines when she came out as a lesbian. It was not one incident or another on the show, either – DeGeneres would continue to explore LGBTQ issues throughout the rest of the series.
DeGeneres herself became even more famous after her audience came out and went a very public face for the often marginalized community. However, it is their association as a spokesperson for the community that has plagued the DeGeneres in recent years.
Ellen DeGeneres has welcomed some problematic guests
In 2019, comedian Kevin Hart became the subject of intense backlash when he was announced as the host for the Oscars of 2019. Some of Hart’s older social media posts from 2008 went public, revealing that Hart had a number of anti-gay statements made.
For this reason, many fans called on Hart to resign as the host for the awards ceremony, even though the cabaret artist had apologized to her. DeGeneres then made the controversial decision to bring Hart as a guest to her talk show, allowing him to explain himself and even call on the Academy to re-introduce him as host.
Also in 2019, DeGeneres brought actor Chris Pratt to her show, following some bad press calling Pratt’s church as a reported anti-gay. Rather than call Pratt about his religion or beliefs, she throws him softball questions, apparently not entirely concerned by the suggestions that Pratt’s church has problems with the gay community.
Twitter users are not on board with Ellen DeGeneres using her show as a platform
After her interviews with Hart and Pratt aired, DeGeneres was slapped on Twitter, with critics claiming the talk show host was not harsh enough for the two celebrities and that she continues to “try to rehabilitate these people who are your own.” community did not respect. “Fans called on her to” enjoy listening “to the community. Others stated that, following her interview with Pratt, DeGeneres”throws the ball downFor LGBTQ advocacy.
Critics accuse DeGeneres of using her actions as a platform for people who do not necessarily support the need for the LGBTQ, and of giving problematic guests a ‘free pass’. When DeGeneres heard the criticism, she did not immediately respond to it, continuing to welcome her various celebrity friends to her talk show and keeping interview topics light-hearted and fun.
Still, the problems would eventually have caught up with DeGeneres – and in light of the recent scandal, more people than ever are calling on DeGeneres to change its ways, or cancel for good.
