Though she claims not to pay attention to her haters, Ellen DeGeneres nonetheless has addressed an anti-gay organization's plea to have her fired as the new spokesperson for JC Penney.
On an episode of her show today, DeGeneres speaks at length about the online boycott launched by OneMillionMoms.com, a division of the American Family Association, who have pressed the retail chain to replace the talk show host because she is a lesbian.
"They wanted to get me fired, and I'm proud and happy to say that JCPenney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson," she says. "Which is great news for me because I also need some new crew socks."
Reading through several comments written in her defense on the group's Facebook page, she goes on to note, "I usually don't talk about stuff like this on my show, but I really want to thank everyone who is supporting me. Here are the values I stand for: I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you'd want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values. That's what I stand for."
JC Penney's CEO, former Apple executive Ron Johnson, explained why the company chose DeGeneres as part of a multifaceted company makeover in an earlier interview with the Associated Press. "I think Ellen is someone we all trust. She's lovable, likable, honest and funny, but at her soul, we trust her," he said.
Last week, a JC Penney spokesperson said in an e-mail to Reuters that the company "stands behind its partnership" with DeGeneres.