Ellen And Pharrell Discuss Kim Burrell's Homophobic Comments
After a video surfaced showing gospel singer Kim Burrell declaring homosexuals were “perverted” and an "embarrassment to the Kingdom of God," she was uninvited to the Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she was set to sing "I See A Victory" with Pharrell, off the Hidden Figures soundtrack.
Yesterday, Ellen tweeted out, “For those asking, Kim Burrell will not be appearing on my show.”
Some applauded the out host for not giving hate a platform, while others said Burrell should come on the show to answer for her statements.
Instead, Pharrell came on Ellen solo today and performed a different song from the soundtrack. He also sat down with Ellen to discuss the situation with Burrell.
"She made a statement... some very not-nice things about homosexuals," Ellen told her audience, "So I didn't feel that it was good to give her a platform after she's saying things about me."
She then gave the floor to Pharrell, who insisted that even if you're not LGBT, such language should be offensive.
"Whenever you hear some sort of hate speech and you feel like it doesn’t pertain to you because you may not have anything to do with that, all you got to do is put the word 'black 'in that sentence, or put 'gay' in that sentence, or put 'transgender' in that sentence, or put 'white' in that sentence, and all of the sudden it starts to make sense to you."
The world is a beautiful place but it does not work without empathy and inclusion. God is love.
The Grammy-winner added that, while "sometimes some of the divisive stuff works... you have to choose what side you’re on. I’m choosing empathy; I’m choosing inclusion; I’m choosing love."
In her original sermon, Burrell lambasted "that sin nature, that perverted homosexual spirit is the spirit of delusion and confusion, it has deceived many men and women and it has cast a stain on the body of Christ.”
In a followup Facebook video, however, she insisted she wasn't being homophobic, saying, "That is the design of the enemy to make it look like I have a personal agenda against people."
Pharrell was quick to denounce Burrell earlier in the week on social media.
“I condemn hate speech of any kind,” he wrote on Twitter. “There is no room in this world for any kind of prejudice. my greatest hope is for inclusion and love for all humanity in 2017 and beyond.”
Janelle Monae, who co-stars in Hidden Figures, issued her own statement about the sermon.
“You guys should already know where I stand but If you do not please know I unequivocally repudiate ANY AND ALL hateful comments against the LGBTQ community,” said Monae. “I am personally beyond exhausted by the ignorance and bigotry living in some people. At times I want to punch and I want to slap a lot of people when I read and hear the shit that comes out of their mouths!”
She added that “if your religion is causing you to spew out words of hate, judge, or look down on others because of who one loves then you need to change it. And fast.”