Donald Trump may be a former reality star (and oh, right, the President) but there's one place that is off-limits to the Oval Office dweller: Ellen DeGeneres' talk show. The host revealed that she won't have Trump on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and it sounds like she's sticking to that.
The daytime TV star, who is famous for pulling pranks and getting her many celebrity guests in on the action, told Matt Lauer on Today that the POTUS won't be popping out of a box on her show anytime soon.
"I have not spoken to [Donald Trump] since he's run for president or become president," said DeGeneres when asked about Trump.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"Would you like him to come on the show?," asked Lauer.
"Um, no," replied DeGeneres. "Because I'm not going to change his mind. He's against everything that I stand for. We need to look at someone else who looks different than us and who believes in something that we don't believe in, and still accept them and still let them have their rights."
DeGeneres has long been an activist for social justice. 20 years ago, the star came out as gay on the now-famous "Puppy Episode" of her sitcom Ellen. Today, DeGeneres is married to Arrested Development actress Portia De Rossi — something she was only able to do in 2008, after the Supreme Court ruled that California's ban of gay marriage was unconstitutional. Her outspoken nature has changed the conversation surrounding LGBTQ rights. The entertainer has routinely spoken out against injustice on her show, from One Million Moms calling for a boycott of JCPenney's after the company made her spokeswoman to defending a student who fought to take her girlfriend to prom — and then rewarding her with $30,000 toward her college education.
It's no surprise that DeGeneres would want to keep Trump off her couch. She clearly doesn't share his beliefs, which include slamming the free press as well as banning Muslim immigrants from entering the country.
While some may criticize DeGeneres for silencing those who don't share her core values, she already spreads a positive message of love and acceptance without the appearance of the POTUS. DeGeneres isn't silencing Trump by not including him on the show — but she also doesn't need to give him a bigger platform than he already has if she doesn't want to.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT