Agent Sues Ellen DeGeneres for Mocking Name
A Georgia real estate professional filed a lawsuit after comedian Ellen DeGeneres poked fun at her name, Titi Pierce, on her daytime show.
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Pierce is suing Warner Bros., the parent company of the show, and is seeking at least $75,000 in damages.
“Just before showing Ms. Pierce’s real estate sign, Defendant displayed a sign reading ‘Nipple Convalescent Home’ to orient the audience toward thoughts of breasts,” the lawsuit states. “While displaying the real estate sign, Ms. DeGeneres paused and said, ‘Titty Pierce, sounds like she might have spent some time in that nipple home, I don’t know.’”
Pierce was traveling to a family funeral when she learned that her name and cell phone number had been broadcast on the show. Her cell phone number rang constantly from unfamiliar phone numbers, according to the lawsuit.
“She answered several of the telephone calls and when she did, she was met with cruel voices laughing uncontrollably, asking if she was a real person, and repeatedly shouting ‘Titty Pierce,’” the lawsuit reads.
The show, which originally aired in February, was re-aired in April. Pierce’s lawsuit says she has repeatedly faced ridicule from the public about her name and frequent phone calls since the airing of the segment.
“In her entire 35 years of life, no one has ever referred to her as ‘titty.’ That all changed after Defendant invaded Ms. Pierce’s privacy by airing a false, defamatory, and personally hurtful segment about her on Feb. 22, 2016,” according to the lawsuit.
Pierce’s name is pronounced “Tee-Tee.” It is a Nigerian name that means “flower.”
Warner Bros. has not commented on the lawsuit.
Source: “Georgia Real Estate Agent Sues Over Ellen DeGeneres Joke,” AJC.com (June 9, 2016)
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