Comedian Recalls Strained Interactions Dating Back to the 1980s
Margaret Cho is shedding light on her long-standing discomfort with fellow comedian Ellen DeGeneres, alleging the former talk show host has consistently treated her with hostility over the years, as reported by Variety Magazine.
In a recent episode of The Kelly Mantle Show, Cho said she’s known DeGeneres since their early days performing stand-up in the 1980s. While they shared the same comedy circles, Cho claimed DeGeneres was “not nice” throughout their overlapping careers.
“Ellen was 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 way before her big fame. So then later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she acted like we just met.”
She went on to say that the “public perception of her is more true now,” referring to the backlash DeGeneres faced in 2020 after multiple reports surfaced of a toxic work environment behind the scenes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Cho also expressed frustration over a particular incident involving late musician David Bowie and his posthumous appearance on The Ellen Show, “The night before, I had come to his show wearing this giant Chinese emperor outfit. He was really thrilled about it, and he talked at length about it. And she cut it out of the show, which made me so mad,”
The scandal, which included accusations of racism, fear-based management, and mistreatment by producers, ultimately led to the show’s cancellation in 2022 and DeGeneres’ exit from daytime television.
You can watch the podcast episode here:
A representative for DeGeneres has not responded to requests for comment.
