Ellen DeGeneres spoke out against Mississippi’s recently passed law that allows people to deny the LGBT community the right to adopt children, hold jobs or rent homes. She called the law “the very definition of discrimination.”
DeGeneres mixed in humor while discussing the serious matter that is not only negatively affecting many lives in Mississippi, but is also an issue close to her heart. “I’m not a political person, I’m really not,” she said to her audience during her opening monologue. “But this is not politics. This is human rights. When I see something wrong, I have to talk about it.”
As she continues, the talk show host joked that she’s disappointed because “Mississippi is the only state that I can spell.” She notes that the Supreme Court already ruled on this topic by making marriage a legal right for everyone.
Towards the end of her powerful speech, DeGeneres remembered her childhood visits to Mississippi, which borders her home state Louisiana. She also referenced her controversial firing from her ABC sitcom Ellen in the late Nineties after coming out. “I was fired for being gay, and I know what it feels like. I lost everything, but look at me now,” she said to loud cheers. “I could buy that governor’s mansion, flip it, and make a $7 million profit.”