‘Sad and angry’: Ellen posts emotional video message

Ellen DeGeneres has posted an emotional video message to her near-90 million Instagram followers, saying she is “sad and so angry”about the escalating tensions in America.

Posted with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, the comedian and talk show host, 62, told fans:

“I haven’t spoken directly because I don’t know what to say. I am so sad, and I am so angry. I know I’m not going to say the right thing, I know there are going to be a lot of people who are in disagreement with what I say, but I have a platform and I have a voice and I have always stood for equality.”

The US has erupted into violent, nationwide protests since horrific footage of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minnesota police on May 25 shocked the world.

DeGeneres said she’d “always wanted to be the voice for people who 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.”

“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 too long. People have gotten away with murder. That’s what’s happening. We’ve got to see fairness and justice for all, because right now this is not a fair world, not at all,” she said.

DeGeneres finished by asking her followers to “send a whole bunch of love out there and try to find some peace and some communication in this.”

In the caption to the video, she offered fans more concrete advice: “Sign a petition. Make a donation. Get informed. Make a phone call. Do it all from the link in my bio,” she wrote, linking to a website of resources to support Black Lives Matter.

The emotional video comes as DeGeneres has weathered a PR storm in recent months, plagued by reports of cold behaviour by former staffers and TV insiders.

News.com.au last month published an opinion piece by writer Angela Mollard defending DeGeneres against the “pile on”, which prompted a surprise response from Ellen herself: a personal phone call to the writer, thanking her for “sticking up for her.”