Ellen DeGeneres helps out two sisters furloughed by the U.S. government shutdown with a huge surprise on Friday’s episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
The government shutdown has seen thousands of federal employees go without pay, including sisters Nikki Howard and Jaqi Wright, who are both their family’s sole providers. In order to make ends meet, the siblings started a cheesecake business called “The Furlough Cheesecake”.
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DeGeneres gives Howard and Wright the shock of their lives as she appears via live video link in their home. The host asks how the shutdown is affecting them and what inspired them to start selling cheesecakes.
The two women reveal that their mother suggested the idea on New Year’s Day and that the business quickly took off. They are now making between 75-100 cheesecakes a day, with orders coming in thick and fast on their website.
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DeGeneres is so inspired by the story that she places an order for a cheesecake of her own, surprising the sisters with $20,000, courtesy of Cheerios. Howard and Wright are completely overwhelmed by the grand gesture.
The government shutdown is now in its 28th day, becoming the longest in U.S. history.
