Social media users were up in arms after Ellen DeGeneres revealed Tuesday in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that she had consumed three ‘weed drinks’ and some melatonin sleeping pills before driving her wife Portia de Rossi to the hospital last month.
The 63-year-old comedian and talk show host previously opened up about finding her wife writhing on the floor of their bedroom in extreme pain with what later turned out to be appendicitis.
DeGeneres said she drank three Cann marijuana-infused drinks ahead the surprise trip, which appear to feature an intoxicating amount of THC, before admitting that the drive was ‘probably not safe.’
Risky business: Ellen DeGeneres, 63, told Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday that she’d had three ‘weed drinks’ before driving her wife to the emergency room, which infuriated some social media users
Since the interview was filmed on Tuesday, which also happens to be the 4/20 marijuana holiday, the topic turned to Ellen’s weed habits early in the segment.
Later, it turned out to have a connection to her dramatic story about driving her wife to the hospital before she had to have an emergency appendectomy.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show star revealed she had significantly imbibed before learning Portia had to go to the hospital.
‘So, Chelsea Handler told me about these weed drinks, they’re called Cann, and they have CBD or [THC] — I don’t know what the good thing is,’ she joked.
‘I drank one, and I didn’t feel anything, so I drank three, and then I took two melatonin sleep pills,’ she continued.
DailyMail.com reached out to DeGeneres’ spokesperson for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Imbibing: Degeneres drank three Cann drinks recommended by her friend Chelsea Handler. They have between two and five mg of THC per can, which may have been enough to make her intoxicated; seen with Portia de Rossi in January 2020
Bar of proof: In the state of California, drivers need to be shown to be impaired by a drug in order to receive a DUI, and simply consuming an intoxicating substance isn’t enough
According to Cann’s own website, the brand sells a variety of marijuana-infused drinks, with the least intoxicating featuring a mix of 2 mg of THC and 4 mg of CBD, while other varieties have 5 mg of THC by itself.
THC is the main component in marijuana that produces a high, and substances containing enough of it may make the user intoxicated. CBD, on the other hand, doesn’t get users high and is popular for its purported medicinal benefits.
Regardless of which variety she consumed, Ellen may have drank enough THC to be impaired.
Marijuana users who consume edible forms of the drug also tend to have a delayed high, as opposed to the more immediate intoxication that occurs from smoking.
In the state of California, drivers need to be shown to be impaired by a drug in order to receive a DUI, and simply consuming an intoxicating substance isn’t enough.
Not having it: Twitter users lashed out at how ‘careless’ they thought she had been, with one person describing her as ‘entitled’ for her dangerous drive
On Twitter, users lambasted DeGeneres for getting behind the wheel of a car after consuming the marijuana drinks.
‘Talk show host admits to driving under the influence of drugs smh,’ complained one person. ‘Should get her show banned.’
Another user lashed out at her privilege.
‘WFT….she’s beyond rich and could’ve gotten someone else to drive,’ they wrote.
‘She could’ve killed someone. I’m so sick of her entitled a**,’ they continued, adding that they ‘lost someone to a drunk driver…’
Others wrote that she should have called 911, and one person tweeted, ‘That’s what ambulances are for.’
One user declared, ‘I lose ALL RESPECT FOR PEOPLE WHO do this careless c**p. Getting behind the wheel knowing their compromised.’
Incriminating: ‘It’s probably not safe. I shouldn’t be saying any of this,’ DeGeneres admitted after Kimmel got her to confirm that she drove the car
DeGeneres went on to recount how she discovered that her wife was dangerously ill.
‘I’m laying in bed, and I realize [Portia’s] not in bed. She’s moaning,’ she recalled. ‘I get out of bed, and she’s on the ground on all fours.
‘I go, “You’re not OK.” She goes, “I’m OK.” I said, “No, unless you’re playing Twister by yourself, you’re not OK.” So I rushed her to the emergency room.’
Kimmel interrupted her to clarify that she drove de Rossi to the ER.
‘I did. I mean, I kicked in, like my adrenaline, because I just had to rush her there,’ she replied, sheepishly adding, ‘It’s probably not safe. I shouldn’t be saying any of this.’
DeGeneres added that her wife was ‘feeling much better now’ following her emergency surgery.
Not a fan: Earlier in the segment, Ellen claimed she ‘hated’ weed and was bothered by people always trying to push weed gummies on her
Earlier in the segment, Kimmel quizzed DeGeneres on whether she celebrates 420.
She said she wasn’t a big marijuana fan, though she joked that it was like ‘Christmas’ for Jimmy.
The Mr. Wrong star said she ‘hated’ weed and recalled how people always try to push marijuana gummies on her, claiming they’re ‘different.’
They followed it up with a humorous segment in which DeGeneres had to guess which of three pedestrians on Hollywood Boulevard were high at that moment.
The host also notably didn’t ask her any questions about the controversy over allegations that she and her producers fostered a toxic workplace on the set of her daytime talk show.
Nothing to see here: Kimmel didn’t ask her any questions about the controversy over allegations that she and her producers fostered a toxic workplace on the set of her talk show