The 'Finding Dory' star has gone back on air for the first time since the pandemic shut down 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' production with a new episode on Monday, April 6.

• Apr 8, 2020

AceShowbiz - Ellen DeGeneres might have to watch over the jokes she is making amid the coronavirus lockdown. Having just gone back on air following production shutdown due to the pandemic, the host of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" found herself under fire for comparing quarantine to jail.

On Monday, April 6, the 62-year-old hosted a new episode for her namesake talk show for the first time from her living room. After greeting viewers and offering her gratitude to the frontliners battling the virus, she jokingly said, "One thing I've learned from being in quarantine is... this is like being in jail, is what it is."

The wife of Portia de Rossi went on to reason, "Mostly because I've been wearing the same clothes for 10 days, and everyone in here is gay." She added while laughing, "The jokes that I have." Nonetheless, she noted, "I feel bad for the kids at home, all the college students, all the parents. I feel bad for a lot of people."

DeGeneres' attempt in making light of the difficult situation obviously didn't sit well with others. In the comment section of the video shared on its YouTube channel, one said, "Multimillionaire says their home is like jail.... must be nice. Hypocrite." Another wrote, "A little tone-deaf. Your prison looks lovely." A third pointed out, "Lots of people start to realize how toxic is Ellen. That's great."

The backlash was not restricted on YouTube alone. Many have also taken the issue to Twitter as Variety author Caroline Darya Framke sarcastically tweeted, "What a great look for Ellen as thousands of people sit in actual jail cells just hoping for the best without soap and basic protections."

Writer Lauren Hough wrote in another tweet, "You have any f**king idea how many human beings are locked in cells, sick, dying, terrified they'll be next, because they couldn't come up with a thousand dollars for bail, because they missed a court date, because they're addicts, because we lock people in cells."

Backlash aside, Ellen kicked start her show by noting that she has "always wanted to have this show as a distraction, as a break for whatever's going on out there that may be unpleasant, so if you're feeling down I want to lift you up, if you're feeling trapped I want to set you free, if you feel like you're going in the wrong direction, I want you to back that thing up."