By Hayden Wright
Kim Burrell’s anti-gay sermon went viral early this week, and it’s made promoting the soundtrack for the film Hidden Figures a little…awkward. Pharrell, who appears on the soundtrack alongside Burrell, shared an Instagram note in the wake of the controversy, writing “I condemn hate speech of any kind” and calling for “inclusion and love.” Members of the cast like Janelle Monae and Octavia Spencer re-grammed Pharrell’s note, shortly before Ellen DeGeneres nixed the gospel singer’s appearance on her talk show. During today’s episode, she and Pharrell will weigh in on the events.
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“[Burrell] said some very not nice things about homosexuals so I didn’t feel that was good of me to have her on the show to give her a platform after she’s saying things about me,” says Ellen in an advance clip.
“There’s no space, there’s no room for any kind of prejudice in 2017 and moving on,” Pharrell added. “She’s a fantastic singer, I love her, just like I love everybody else and we all got to get used to that. We all have to get used to everyone’s differences and understand that This is a big, gigantic, beautiful, colourful world and it only works with inclusion and empathy. It only works that way.” He added: “Live and let live. Love and let love.”
Watch Ellen and Pharrell’s discussion here:
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Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) December 31, 2016