Pop star Katy Perry is doubling down on a controversial tweet defending cabaret artist Ellen DeGeneres, who recently came under fire after employees of her talk show reported during the day about a toxic work environment.
Perry spoke with the Los Angeles Times’ Amy Kaufman, and Perry pointed to the tweet, which focused on the ‘positive takeaways’ of her personal interactions with DeGeneres, while acknowledging that she “can not speak for anyone’s experience. otherwise. “
The “Smile” artist and other celebrities – including Kevin Hart, Diane Keaton and Ashton Kutcher – drew sharp criticism for publicly supporting DeGeneres while her series is under internal investigation.
“I started that tweet not undermining anyone else’s experience,” Perry told The Times. ‘I only wanted to speak from personal experience. I have over 100 million people following me on Twitter, so not everyone will agree with me. And I’m not here to agree with anyone. “
1/2 I know I next to my own can not speak for the experience of anyone else, but I want to admit that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen & on the @theellenshow. I think we have all witnessed the bright & ongoing struggle for equality she has brought
– KATY PERRY (@katyperry) August 4, 2020
In an internal memo to her staff last month, DeGeneres responded to the accusations, admitting that she was “unable to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do her job because they knew I was her. would do. “
“Obviously some are not. That will change now and I am promised that this will not happen again.”
Perry has also been vocal over the past few months about her latest album, “Witness,” which was not as warmly received as some of her past work and had a negative impact on her mental health. At the time, the “Roar” hitmaker trusted another pop phenomenon, Sia, who also struggled with mental health while navigating the entertainment industry.
“She had a real breakdown,” Sia told The Times. “She’s on stage with 10 candied lollipops and clowns and dancers, and sells the dream, the fun, the happiness – and that’s very hard sometimes when you do not feel it yourself.
‘I knew she was driven and ambitious, that was clear from the start. But I did not know she was so dependent on that validation for her psychological well-being, “Sia added.” She said, ‘I feel lost.’ I think it was a big kiss for her ego, but it was the best thing that could ever happen to her, really, because now she can make music for the fun of it. Getting numbers is nothing for you inside. “
The journey of Perry’s mental health is also explored on her upcoming fifth studio album, “Smile”, which has an imminent end date – as does her first child, a daughter, with fiancé Orlando Bloom. The singer reflected on her inspirations for the album and her feelings about motherhood in an interview with The Times.
“Five years ago, I would like to say, ‘Get this out of me,'” she said of expecting a child. ‘But I found the reasons why I felt insecure about my own upbringing. And then I reprogrammed them. Our brain is really beautiful. You can customize it whenever you want. “
“Smile” comes August 28th.
Times staff writer Amy Kaufman contributed to this report.
