Ellen DeGeneres is now officially working for the U.S. Government. Ellen was just named a special envoy for global AIDS awareness by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Clinton said:
“Ellen is going to bring not only her sharp wit and her big heart, but her impressive TV audience and more than 8 million followers on Twitter, to raise awareness and support for this effort. I know we can look forward to many contributions from Ellen and her loyal fans across the globe.”
Ellen responded in a statement:
“I’m honored to have been chosen by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as Special Envoy for Global AIDS awareness. The fight against AIDS is something that has always been close to my heart. And I’m happy that I can use my platform to educate people and spread hope. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go look up what ‘envoy’ means.”
USA Today reports that Ellen has over 8 million Twitter followers and close to 6 million fans on Facebook. Ellen will also be able to use her show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, to raise AIDS awareness.
Ellen is already involved in several humanitarian causes. The openly gay talk show host has used her show on several occasions to talk about issues that are dear to her heart. Here’s what Ellen had to say about gay bullying after the death of Tyler Clementi.
Ambassador Eric Goosby, head of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), said that he was “thrilled that we have someone like Ellen DeGeneres on our team to raise awareness that we are on the path to beating this devastating disease.”
The Obama administration also announced $60 million in an additional funding to help fight AIDS in Africa.
Do you think Ellen Degeneres is the right choice to help raise AIDS awareness?
