Pete Schweddy may not have had anything to say to fun police One Million Moms regarding the issues they took up with him, but Ellen DeGeneres certainly did. The daytime talk show host recently faced scrutiny from the conservative group regarding her partnership with J.C. Penney as their new spokesperson. The American Family Association affiliate, which is still calling for the retailer “to replace Ellen DeGeneres” on their website, launched their campaign against J.C. Penney for not remaining “neutral in the culture war,” and that their business would be hurt because DeGeneres is a lesbian and “most of its customers are traditional families.”

Instead J.C. Penney, with the help of support from GLAAD, chose to stand by DeGeneres. (The New York Times reported that in a statement, company president Michael Francis called DeGeneres “one of the most fun and vibrant people in entertainment today, with great warmth and a down-to-earth attitude.”)

On Wednesday’s show, DeGeneres decided to talk about the issue head-on during her opening monologue. After talking about yesterday’s groundbreaking ruling from a federal appeals court that deemed Prop 8 unconstitutional, the 54-year-old addressed the controversy. “They [One Million Moms] wanted to get me fired and I am proud and happy to say that J.C. Penney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson,” she said, to uproarious applause.

DeGeneres also discredited the group for suggesting J.C. Penney had a “pro-gay bandwagon,” telling them, “Being gay or pro-gay isn’t a bandwagon. You don’t get a free ride anywhere. There’s no music. And occasionally we’ll sing ‘We Are Family’ but that’s about it.”

She concluded by telling her “haters,” “I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values.” Watch the full clip below:

The Ellen DeGeneres Show airs on NBC, check local listings.