Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has built a brand around likability. From her historic move to publicly come out as a lesbian in the late 90s to dancing across the stage of her Emmy-winning talk show, Ellen is known on a first-name basis with American pop culture.
So in 2020 when reports of on-set bullying surfaced, and despite her denial of the allegations, the host's reputation was significantly tarnished. As reports continued to come in regarding various mistreatments on the set of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' the show's ratings took a hit. Degeneres announced that the show was ending, and has since been working on a docuseries.
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The Ellen brand, however, still remains -- the former show host has an online store and a subscription box service. And that subscription box service is under fire for an unfair ask from an independent artist.
today in embarrassing career lows, ell*n d*generes asked for 6,000 copies of my OK Tarot deck for some kind of subscription box she does… and she wanted them FOR FREE. https://t.co/guJO94DHKP
— Adam JK (@adamjk) July 24, 2023
According to the artist Adam J. Kurtz, the subscription box service asked for 6,000 copies of Kurtz's product the OK Tarot Deck for free. The service is named after one of DeGeneres' favorite mottos -- "Be Kind".
The box itself retails for almost $55 every quarter or nearly $220 for the annual subscription. Meanwhile, the 'OK Tarot Deck: The Simple Deck for Everyone' retails for $22. Kurtz says he'd be willing to sell his deck wholesale, but working for free just doesn't cut it.
The post has since blown up, receiving more than 1 million views and many messages of support. "Y'all, please know I'm fine," he says, adding that he "has a cute house and a dog and I help support my family."
When it comes to getting work that pays, he's not unwilling to take advantage of a spotlight. "If you want 6,000 [copies of my deck]," he adds, "we can get you a solid discount."
