Ellen Degeneres forced to deny she’s racist after trolls accused her over Usain Bolt meme

ELLEN  DeGeneres has denied she’s racist after posting a meme of herself riding on the back of Olympic hero Usain Bolt.

The American host, 58, tweeted the picture to her 61.5 million followers – before suffering a backlash from outraged users demanding she deletes the "racist garbage."

The picture featured an edit of Ellen riding on the back of Usain Bolt following his success at the Rio 2016 Olympic games.

She captioned the post: “This is how I’m running errands from now on. #Rio2016”

As many people found offence in her post, Ellen later wrote: “I am highly aware of the racism that exists in our country. It is the furthest thing from who I am.”

The post sparked huge debate across social media.

Twitter user Elmo Leon wrote: “Ellen's controversial tweet about Bolt is only racist if elements of racism are present in your mind.”

Another fan wrote: “I don’t think Ellen meant to be racist !!!”

With another blasting: "An apology won't do. This is utterly f***ing ridiculous. How dare you!?!?"

Unsure about the controversy, another fan added: “I'm not saying Ellen Degeneres is a racist, but you won't see me come to her defense either.”

Twitter user Tony Sparks wrote: "I find the image of a white woman riding on a black man's back triggering. Some don't, I do & that's life"

Another snapped: "You thought it'd be funny to post a pic of yourself riding on the back of a Black man? Nope. Delete this racist garbage.

The post has since been retweeted over 32,000 times since it was posted and liked by over 79,000 users.

Putting the controversy behind her, Ellen later celebrated her eighth wedding anniversary to wife Portia De Rossi.

Alongside a snap of the pair holding hands, Ellen wrote: “Best thing I ever did.”

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