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On Sunday, the Oscars were hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. While there were many hilarious moments throughout the ceremony, one joke cracked by DeGeneres has sparked a bit of controversy. The actress Liza Minnelli, who is often impersonated by both females and males in drag, appeared that night wearing a short hairdo and a shape-hiding blue blouse with matching pants. In gentle mockery, DeGeneres said that Minnelli was “the best Liza Minnelli impersonator I’ve ever seen.” DeGeneres then added a three-word quip that would later haunt her “Good job, sir.”
Response to the Joke
While Minnelli seemed slightly stunned at the time, she soon laughed along with the crowd. When asked about the comment later, she said that DeGeneres should have followed up to show the chumminess of the comment by referencing Minnelli as her friend or something, and said that the incident got away from DeGeneres because she didn’t soften the joke.
Minnelli may have taken the comment in stride, but many were offended on her behalf, or took the joke to be offensive to the transgender community. Director Bruce LaBruce took to twitter, calling the joke disrespectful and transphobic. Some have even started a petition to get DeGeneres to formally apologize for the joke. Offended viewers voiced frustrations over social media throughout the last few days.
Others, including some transgender individuals, responded to the controversy with astonishment that the joke would be taken offensively. Some questioned how the joke could possibly be viewed as offensive to transgender individuals. Many thought that the joke was funny, and voiced opinions that the backlash was ridiculous, and that it should’ve been taken as lightheartedly as it was intended. What do you think? Was the joke offensive or funny?
