Ellen Axes Kim Burrell From Show After Sermon on 'Perverted Homosexual Spirit'
Editor's note: Warning, this article contains graphic language.
Ellen Degeneres, one of show business' most high profile lesbians and host of the popular talk show "Ellen" announced Tuesday that iconic gospel singer Kim Burrell has been axed from a planned appearance on her show days after a recording surfaced on social media showing Burrell preaching against a "perverted homosexual spirit" in the Church.
"For those asking, Kim Burrell will not be appearing on my show," Degeneres announced on Twitter just before 1 p.m.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Burrell was scheduled to sing "I See Victory" from the soundtrack of the new movie "Hidden Figures" with Pharrell Williams on Thursday's show. Both Williams and Burrell had performed "I See a Victory" on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in December prior to the video going viral.
Burrell, who is also pastor of Love & Liberty Fellowship Pentecostal Church in Houston, Texas, is shown in the video clip, warning members of her congregation that if they engaged in homosexual behavior while they professed to be Christians in 2017 that they would die from it.
"Anybody in the room who is living with a homosexual spirit, beg God to free you. If you play with it in 2017 you'll die from it. If you play with it in 2017 in God's house you'll die from it. Y'all came to hear about carnal, I came to tell you about sin," she said bluntly.
"That perverted homosexual spirit is a spirit of delusion and confusion and it has deceived many men and women. And it has caused a stain on the body of Christ. And those homosexual spirits have been angry and they come up against you [saying] 'you gotta love everybody.' Sit down you serpent," she said with a strong rebuke.
"You cannot give instructions to God's holiness with that much perversion. You, as a man, would open your mouth and take a man's penis in your face? You are perverted and you better not tell me, thus saith the Lord. You are perverted," she said. "You are a woman that would shake your face in another woman's breasts? You are perverted, and its coming into our church and it has embarrassed the Kingdom of God."
Since the video surfaced, Williams released a statement saying: "I condemn hate speech of any kind. There is no room in this world for any kind of prejudice. My greatest hope is for inclusion and love for all humanity in 2017 and beyond."
"Hidden Figures" actress and Atlanta resident Janelle Monae has since reposted Pharrell's statement on Instagram with a statement of her own.
"I shouldn't even have to post this as you guys should already know where I stand but If you do not pls know I unequivocally repudiate ANY AND ALL hateful comments against the LGBTQ community. Actually I'm tired of that label. We all belong to the same community, a shared community called humanity. And today and tomorrow and the next day I will continue to stand with other like minded people who condemn any and all statements and actions that would seek to deny the basic humanity of our fellow brothers and sisters," Monae wrote.
"We cannot sit Idly by nor will we speak silently when we are confronted with such violence against members of our community. I am personally beyond exhausted by the ignorance and bigotry living in some people. At times I want to punch and I want to slap a lot of people when I read and hear the s--t that comes out their mouths! I will rejoice when folks stop thinking they ARE GOD, Jesus' assistant, picking and choosing what 'sins' are acceptable in the Bible, and using the Bible as a whip! WE can't afford anymore tearing down of our shared humanity," she said, in part.
