'It was never a parody': Schumer dismisses accusations of racism

Amy Schumer defended herself against accusations of racism, following the release of a video dancing to Beyonce's Formation.

In a social media essay posted on Thursday, the stand-up comedian said the video was "NEVER a parody", but "women celebrating each other."

The video, released on Tidal, shows Schumer and actress Goldie Hawn dancing in a jungle to Beyonce's Formation while mimicking the Lemonade singer's choreography.

Schumer was accused of racism for mocking a song with "cultural significance for black women".

"Amy Schumer made a parody of Formation, a song about female black empowerment, with a bunch of other white women," one Twitter user wrote, "what a mess".

The 35-year old comedian defended the video as a cultural homage to "one of the greatest pieces of art of our time".

"I love how in the lyrics of Formation, Beyoncé is telling us to get in formation," she wrote.

"If you watched it and it made you feel anything other than good, please know that was not my intention," she added.

The video was released on Tidal, the music streaming service owned by Beyoncé's husband, Jay Z.

"Of course I had Beyoncé and Jay Z's approval. They released it on Tidal exclusively for the first 24 hours," Schumer said.

It is the second time this month the comedian has become embroiled in controversy.

Last week, around 200 people walked out of Schumer's Florida show after she called Republican nominee Donald Trump a "sexual-assaulting monster".

She later added: "Of course, we're in Florida, you're going to boo".