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Ellen DeGeneres addresses claims of racism in Usain Bolt tweet

Posted at 2:20 PM, Aug 16, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-16 15:25:31-04

A tweet by Ellen DeGeneres is facing criticism, as some have deemed a photoshopped picture of the comedienne and sprinter Usain Bolt racist.

After Usain Bolt won his third consecutive gold medal in the 100m dash on Sunday, DeGeneres tweeted a photo of her riding on the Jamaican’s back during the race with the caption, “This is how I’m running errands from now on.”

 

 

DeGeneres’ tweet received has since received 25,000 retweets and 61,000 favorites — including a retweet from Bolt himself.

But some Twitter users found DeGeneres’ tweet racist and insensitive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As often happens on Twitter, the backlash to the backlash was quick to follow

 

 

 

 

DeGeneres herself responded to the controversy on Tuesday, tweeting that she is “highly aware of the racism that exists in our country. It is the furthest thing from who I am.”

 

 

 

 

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.