After a video of her calling homosexuals “perverted” during a church sermon emerged late last week, gospel singer Kim Burrell’s scheduled appearance on Thursday’s episode of Ellen has officially been canceled.
DeGeneres confirmed the rumors on Tuesday afternoon, tweeting, “For those asking, Kim Burrell will not be appearing on my show.” The singer was scheduled to perform a track from the Hidden Figures soundtrack alongside Pharrell Williams (who wrote the film’s uniformly excellent original songs), but Gossip Cop reports Tuesday that he will now be “performing alone,” and that DeGeneres “may address the controversy” in a later episode.
In what is almost certainly a response to Burrell’s newly resurfaced comments, both Pharrell and Hidden Figures star Janelle Monáe took to Instagram (a refreshing change of pace from “taking to Twitter,” in my opinion) to publicly “condemn” hate speech.
Monáe reposted Williams’s Instagram, and added this lengthy comment focusing on the LGBTQ community:
I shouldn’t even have to post this as you guys should already know where I stand but If you do not pls know I unequivocally repudiate ANY AND ALL hateful comments against the LGBTQ community. In addition, I feel we all belong to the same community, a shared community called humanity. And today and tomorrow and the next day I will continue to stand with other like minded people who condemn any and all statements and actions that would seek to deny the basic humanity of our fellow brothers and sisters. We cannot sit Idly by nor will we speak silently when we are confronted with such violence against members of our community. 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 their mouthes !!! I will rejoice when folks stop thinking they ARE GOD, Jesus’ assistant, picking and choosing what “sins” are acceptable in the Bible, and using the Bible as a whip! WE can’t afford anymore tearing down of our shared humanity. My advice: 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. If the religion don’t make you are more loving or better person, ditch it. But what do I know. My hope is that we ALL go into this new year considering for one moment that we don’t have all the answers. My hope is that we become more understanding, less judgmental, more tolerate, and more patient with one another. Including me. HAPPY NEW YEAR. 🙏🏿❤
She is a treasure.