The internet is angry with Ellen DeGeneres for photoshopping herself riding Usain Bolt’s back onto a now-famous image of Bolt smiling as he sprints toward the gold medal in the 100-meter race at the Rio Olympics.
DeGeneres shared the picture on Monday, with a caption that said, “This is how I’m running errands from now on.”
The tweet prompted immediate backlash from many users who said the image was racist for showing a white woman riding on the back of a black man.
In the replies to DeGeneres’s tweet, people called the photo “offensive,” and said that by appearing to ride Bolt’s back, the daytime talk show host likened him to a mule or a piece of property.
Others jumped to DeGeneres’s defense, and said she was not racist, but just commenting on Bolt’s speed.
DeGeneres acknowledged the backlash in a tweet on Tuesday.
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