“Wow! Thanks for turning an ugly phone call into a #VeryAsian movement!” Li wrote on his Instagram page.
LOS ANGELES — After sharing a racist comment on social media — and gaining support from around the world — 5 On Your Side host Michelle Li appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week.
Earlier this month, Li shared a video to her Instagram page that showed her listening to a voicemail from a viewer criticizing her for a comment she made on air.
UPDATE: Ellen DeGeneres helps Michelle Li launch the #VeryAsian Movement Foundation
During the newscast, Li ended a New Year’s food segment with the comment, “I ate dumpling soup. That’s what a lot of Koreans do. The viewer said Li was “very Asian” and should “keep her Korean to herself.”
After Li shared the video, thousands of people shared their support using #VeryAsian and thanked her for sharing her Asian-American tradition on TV.
On Tuesday, Li announced on her Instagram page that she had been asked to appear on Ellen to talk about the good that comes from sharing her story.
“Wow! Thank you for turning an ugly phone call into a #VeryAsian movement! I’m truly touched and moved — and thrilled to say I’ve been invited to @theellenshow to talk about the good that continues to come out of it,” she wrote.
You can watch Michelle on Ellen on Wednesday’s show on 5 On Your Side. It starts at 3 p.m.
A preview of the episode includes Michelle describing what happened and why she added the line about dumplings in the TV script.
Li has also teamed up with KARE 11 Minneapolis news anchor Gia Vang to create a #VeryAsian product line including shirts, sweatshirts and hats. Proceeds benefited the Asian American Journalists Association.
The AAJA advocates for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in newsrooms. Although the merchandise is no longer available, people can still support the movement by donating.
