Ellen DeGeneres Shares Message of Compassion Following Brett Kavanaugh Confirmation

Ellen DeGeneres shared a message of compassion directed at Dr. Christine Blasey Ford following Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court Saturday afternoon.

Kavanaugh was confirmed to replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy by a 50-48 Senate vote after weeks of unrest following allegations of sexual misconduct brought out by Ford, which were the subject of a much-talked about Senate hearing on Thursday, Sept. 27.

“This tweet is for Dr. Ford,” DeGeneres wrote. “You put yourself through so much and I want you to know it wasn’t in vain. You started a movement and we’ll see it through. If they won’t listen to our voices, then they’ll listen to our vote.”

DeGeneres is one of many celebrities to speak out after Kavanaugh’s confirmation, with many also adding messages to encourage the public to vote in the upcoming November elections.

The Senate vote was interrupted several times Saturday by protesters, though they did not change the outcome. Sen Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat to vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to vote no on the confirmation, but she withdrew her vote after casting the vote for Sen. Steve Gaines of Montana, who was absent to attend his daughter’s wedding.

Ford was the subject of much scrutiny following news of her claims of sexual assault against Kavanaugh. She testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the subject matter on Sept. 27.

During the hearing she spoke in detail about Kavanaugh attacking her at a party in 1982, when they were both in high school.

“Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time, because he was very inebriated, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit underneath my clothing,” Ford testified. “I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling. This is what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me.”

Ford later said she was “100 percent” sure Kavanaugh assaulted her.

During his, at-times, tearful testimony, Kavanaugh denied the allegations and claimed to not even be at the party that Ford described. He also denied sexual misconduct allegations from two other women, Julie Swetnick and Deborah Ramirez.

Kavanaugh is set to be sworn into his position in the Supreme Court late Saturday, amid protests breaking out in D.C. and across the country.