Ellen DeGeneres was caught in a whirlwind of controversy in 2020, in connection to her long-running talk show. During the summer of that year, reports of a “toxic” work environment on the Ellen talk show began to surface, though the initial allegations weren’t aimed at DeGeneres herself. However, the veteran comic eventually found herself on the receiving end of rumors about on-set bullying. That controversy has mostly died down at this point, but Magaret Cho is now sharing some less-than-positive thoughts on working with DeGeneres.
Margaret Cho has been working within the comedy sphere for some time now and, as a result, she’s crossed paths with more than a few notable comics in her time. When Cho appeared on The Kelly Mantle Show (which is on YouTube), the eponymous host asked for her thoughts on an assortment of comedians. When Ellen DeGeneres came up, Cho noted that she’d known her for “such a long time” and referred to her as “a mean girl.” It sounds like the uncomfortable vibe between the two remained for years:
Ellen was, like, really weird and not nice to me for most of my career. I opened for her in the 1980s, when she was a headliner in comedy clubs, [and] later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she acted like we just met. And I’m like, ‘Bitch, what?’ Like, that’s weird. We go way back. It’s so creepy and weird.
The “Mean Ellen” rumors made the rounds across social media several years ago. Lea Thompson and Brad Garrett were among some of the earliest stars to back up the claims, and Ryan Phillippe called out DeGeneres, too. Just months ago, Bachelorette alum Ali Fedotowsky-Manno claimed she was made to feel “stupid” while on Ellen. Margaret Cho went on to recall another situation involving David Bowie guest-starring on DeGeneres’ show. The matter apparently involved Bowie praising Cho during his TV appearance:
But also, the other thing, David Bowie had been on the show, and he was so excited that the night before, that I had come to his show wearing this giant Chinese emperor outfit. He was thrilled about it, and he talked at length about it, and she cut it out of the show, which made me so mad. The producer, who’s a really good friend of mine, had to call me and tell me, ‘I can’t believe she did this, but she cut it out of the show. But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. He loves you. God said your name.’ Which is so rude! I don’t know if it was personal. Maybe it was for time. But still, I’m going to take it personally because I decided to.
Ellen DeGeneres herself has not provided any kind of comment on her reasoning for cutting that part of David Bowie’s interview, as of this writing. Although DeGeneres faced blowback from multiple people, she was publicly defended by her brother, Vance, music producer Scooter Braun and a few others. When the toxic work environment rumors initially surfaced, DeGeneres said she was committed to spearheading “change” behind the scenes.
Ultimately, not long after the controversy, it was reported that Ellen would conclude at the end of the 2021-2022 TV season. DeGeneres later addressed the backlash she faced, claiming that it was “too orchestrated” and “too coordinated.” The stand-up comedy veteran signed off from her show for the final time in May 2022.
At present, Ellen DeGeneres no longer lives in the United States, as she and wife Portia de Rossi now live in the United Kingdom. The Emmy-winning comedian has been keeping a relatively low profile as of late. Whether or not comments from Margaret Cho or Ali Fedotowsky-Manno might spark further backlash against DeGeneres remains to be seen.
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