Jimmy Kimmel: Ellen DeGeneres is everyone's gay friend
Mon. September 10, 2012 8:43 AM by OnTopMag.com
Jimmy Kimmel has said that Ellen DeGeneres is everyone's gay friend.
Kimmel, the host of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, made his remarks last week as DeGeneres was given her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Ellen is someone that I admire. I admire her talent. I admire the way she conducts herself at all times, on camera and off. When unenlightened people threaten to boycott her show, or her sponsors, simply because Ellen is honest about who she is, she doesn't belittle them or attack them like I would. Instead [she] engages them, she asks for understanding, she explains that she just wants to be treated the way she treats people – with kindness and respect," Kimmel said, referring to the Christian conservative group One Million Moms, which called on JCPenney to retire DeGeneres as the company's spokesperson because she is openly gay.
"I think that Ellen has made a difference."
"Some people don't have gay friends," Kimmel added. "Some people, for whatever reason, don't get a chance to see that gay people aren't any different from anyone. But they see Ellen on TV and they get to know her and maybe they start to feel like they do have a friend. Now make no mistake, Ellen is not your friend. Ellen is my friend, and I am unwilling to share her with any of you."
In accepting her star, DeGeneres thanked her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, and mother, Betty DeGeneres.
Kimmel, the host of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, made his remarks last week as DeGeneres was given her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Ellen is someone that I admire. I admire her talent. I admire the way she conducts herself at all times, on camera and off. When unenlightened people threaten to boycott her show, or her sponsors, simply because Ellen is honest about who she is, she doesn't belittle them or attack them like I would. Instead [she] engages them, she asks for understanding, she explains that she just wants to be treated the way she treats people – with kindness and respect," Kimmel said, referring to the Christian conservative group One Million Moms, which called on JCPenney to retire DeGeneres as the company's spokesperson because she is openly gay.
"I think that Ellen has made a difference."
"Some people don't have gay friends," Kimmel added. "Some people, for whatever reason, don't get a chance to see that gay people aren't any different from anyone. But they see Ellen on TV and they get to know her and maybe they start to feel like they do have a friend. Now make no mistake, Ellen is not your friend. Ellen is my friend, and I am unwilling to share her with any of you."
In accepting her star, DeGeneres thanked her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, and mother, Betty DeGeneres.
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine