Sofía Vergara insists she was ‘never the victim’ on Ellen DeGeneres’s show after accent jokes resurface
‘Modern Family’ star says she and DeGeneres are ‘two comedians having fun with each other to entertain’
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Your support makes all the difference.Sofía Vergara has spoken out over a clip of a past appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’s show.
The Modern Family star shared the video in question, in which DeGeneres pokes fun at Vergara’s pronunciation of specific ingredients she had to name as part of a cosmetics commercial.
Vergara spoke out after several additional clips of DeGeneres making fun of her accent resurfaced on social media.
The actor described herself and DeGeneres as “two comedians having fun with each other to entertain”.
“I was never a victim guys, I was always in on the joke,” she added.
In the video she shared, which dates back to 2015, DeGeneres comments on an ad she and Vergara both starred in, for the cosmetics brand CoverGirl.
“I don’t know why they give her the hardest lines, too – because we have to describe what’s in the CoverGirl make-up, and she has such a hard time pronouncing any of the ingredients,” DeGeneres says of Vergara.
In turn, Vergara adds: “I think because you are much more famous than me... and older than me... so they give you priority and you read the script first and you’re the one that makes me say those words.”
Despite Vergara’s statement, some still felt that the segment didn’t sit well with them.
“You are strong and confident enough to not be a victim, however I think laughing and mocking other people’s accents without even speaking a second language is quite ignorant, and not necessarily hilarious for our Latino community,” one person wrote.
The clips of Vergara’s past appearances on DeGeneres’s show resurfaced after the programme became the subject of an internal investigation into allegations that it was a toxic work environment. Three senior producers have stepped down amid the probe, according to Variety.
DeGeneres, who according to NBC News wasn’t personally a part of the review, has said she is “disappointed” and “sorry” about staffers’ alleged conduct.
The Independent has contacted DeGeneres’s team for comment.