Why Ellen DeGeneres Says She is 'Proud' of Taylor Swift
With Pride Month coming to a close, two of America’s sweethearts — Ellen DeGeneres and Taylor Swift — are making headlines, crashing Instagram and igniting the Twitterverse. In a tweet shared by DeGeneres following the release of Swift’s new You Need To Calm Down single along with the video, where DeGeneres appears in a cameo, the popular TV talk show hostess is beaming with pride for the young pop star.
Are Taylor Swift and Ellen DeGeneres friends?
It’s no secret Swift and DeGeneres are best buds, and DeGeneres even has a nickname for her BFF aka “Tay-Tay.” Following the release of her smash-hit single, Look What You Made Me Do, the suggestive title got DeGeneres thinking about what her production company could do in response.
During a past episode of her show, DeGeneres claims she was featured in the “original” video but her appearances wound up on the cutting room floor. In true comedic fashion, DeGeneres’ team dubbed her into the viral video as she told her audience:
“I was in the original, because I’m part of her squad, and apparently she cut me out. She’s threatened by me sometimes. Nice try Tay-Tay cause I got my hands on the real video.”
All kidding aside, DeGeneres has always supported Swift’s career and prior to the release of the newest addition to Swift’s musical repertoire, DeGeneres encouraged viewers to check out the video in a tweet that shared a sneak peek to the public.
Other celebrities and gay advocates were also on hand to support the pop star with the likes of Katy Perry, figure skater Adam Rippon, rapper Cardi B, and American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert and other A-listers chiming in on Twitter. Those listed here all either appeared or were portrayed in Swift’s viral video.
Support and criticism of Taylor Swift’s new video
Speaking of support, the calming nature of Swift’s newest video sensation caused a spike in donations according to The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Swift’s own squad of fans self-titled the “Swifties” stepped up to the donation plate with a surge of offerings as an homage to her birthday of December 13th and it’s also the singer’s favorite number.
However, not everyone’s particularly happy about Swift’s newest addition to her musical career and claim she’s taking advantage of this hot topic becoming an unlikely ally for the LGBTQ community. For anyone following Swift’s track record of songs over the years, this is definitely a departure from her typical style of pop music loaded with plenty of relationship fodder about Taylor’s splits from past partners.
Who appeared in Taylor Swift’s star-studded video
DeGeneres wasn’t the only gay icon to make an appearance in Swift’s newest video with a plethora of short popups coming from a number of different well-known LGBTQ celebrities. Inside a rainbow-drenched trailer park backdrop, viewers may need to watch the video several times to spot all the colorful cameos as they continue throughout the song including:
- Transgender super-star and gay activist Laverne Cox
- A quick wedding nod to Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his real-life husband Justin Mikita
- Appearances from Queer Eye’s Fab 5
- Tony-award winning Broadway sensation Billy Porter
- A crown-tossing moment from fashionista and the truly fabulous drag queen RuPaul
The video concludes in a huge food fight that brings together Perry dressed as a hamburger and Swift as a side of fries to signify an end to the long-running feud between this pair of pop-stars. Instead of rolling credits as the video ends, Taylor issues a call-to-action: “Sign my petition for Senate support of the Equality Act on Change.org.”
Is Taylor Swift’s new video more politics in the limelight?
Raising awareness and making political statements in music is certainly nothing new considering some of the classic contributions from the likes of legendary activist and advocate for peace former frontman of the Beatles John Lennon. March 25, 2019, marked the 50th anniversary of when Lennon and his bride Yoko Ono spent their honeymoon in bed like most couples, but instead, they chose this event as a public platform to promote peace.
Political undertones found in songs like Revolution and peaceful messages weaved into the lyrics of Imagine seemed almost omnipresent throughout Lennon’s career. But for Swift, her political activism seemed to come out of relative obscurity which makes some question her sincerity.
Taylor Swift’s video is more positive than negative
But with pride-based praise coming from none other than DeGeneres herself, in consideration of the huge cast of cameo appearances in her video, Swift certainly seems to have the support of the LGBTQ community backing this endeavor.
Perhaps we should all take Swift’s advice found right there in the title of her newest smash single in calming down while stepping up to support equal rights for everyone.
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