Ellen DeGeneres Deletes "Tone-Deaf" Tweet About George Floyd Amid Criticism

Ellen DeGeneres' tweet about the "injustice" faced by "people of colour" in America in the wake of George Floyd's murder by police has since disappeared from her account after she received criticism for her choice of words. On Saturday (May 30th), Ellen tweeted a message in regards to the murder of a Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of the police in Minneapolis. 

"Like so many of you, I am angry and I am sad," she wrote. "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 with love." However, the tweet was quickly deleted, after Ellen received criticism for using the umbrella term "people of colour" rather than indicating that this is an issue specifically plaguing Black people. Many found the tweet to be "tone-deaf" and "hypocritical," largely due to Ellen's public friendship with former U.S. president, George Bush.

"Not people of color," one user replied. "George Floyd was black. Why are [you] being so cautious? Seriously?" Another user pointed out Ellen's failure to financially support the Black Lives Matter movement. "I still find it funny how Ellen Degeneres, a woman who is famous for boastfully signing life-size checks to random people on her show, can't even post a screenshot on the internet of her donating money in support of Black lives," they wrote.

After deleting her initial tweet, Ellen posted some follow-up messages including the following: "I support the protestors who are exercising their rights and standing up against the horrible injustices that Black people in America face everyday. #BlackLivesMatter." She also revealed that she had donated to a few different organizations in support of the BLM movement. "I am making a donation to the George Floyd Memorial Fund, the
@NAACP_LDF, @BlkLivesMatter, and the @ACLU in support of them, and I hope you will join me if you are able."

[Via]