The joke exactly was this:
"I've been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay," and it didn't go over so well with Twitter users.
Since being in self-isolation, DeGeneres has been filming her talkshow from home with the help of wife Portia de Rossi. In the first episode on air since lockdown, DeGeneres thanked all healthcare workers and emergency first responders for how they've been combatting the COVID-19 crisis.
"I wanted to start doing my new show as soon as possible because it's really for people who are stuck at home, and especially my staff and crew," she said. "I love them, I miss them, and the best thing I can do to support them is to keep the show on the air."
However, things got off to a rocky start when she cracked that prison joke. A lot of users came for her use of the criminal justice system as the punchline, flaunting her privilege while she is 100% safe from the virus, and has a huge mansion to hunker down in. Ellen should have rethought this one.
Ellen DeGeneres Comparing Isolation in Her Mansion to “Jail”🤣😂 Guess her designer clothes are her jumpsuit huh. pic.twitter.com/4otWe47QYI
— itsagundam (@GundamIsHere) April 7, 2020