Comedian and actress Margaret Cho has added her voice to the growing list of celebrities who have spoken out about what they describe as Ellen DeGeneres’s off-screen rudeness—accusations that stand in stark contrast to the famously cheerful persona DeGeneres presented on television.
Speaking on The Kelly Mantle Show podcast, Cho candidly reflected on her decades-long, often uncomfortable history with the talk show host. “Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,” Cho said.
Cho, now 56, recounted her early days in stand-up, revealing that she had opened for DeGeneres in the 1980s when DeGeneres was already headlining major comedy clubs. Despite that shared history, Cho claimed DeGeneres acted as if they were strangers years later.
“I opened for her in the 1980s, when she was a headliner in comedy clubs,” she recalled. “Later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she would act like we just met!”
She added, “I’m like, ‘*, what?’ That’s weird. We go way back. It’s so creepy and weird!”
Cho also shared an incident that left a lasting impression. During one of her appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a clip was filmed where the legendary musician David Bowie complimented her outfit. However, to her dismay, the footage never made it to air.
“It made me so mad,” Cho said. “The producer, who was a really good friend of mine, had to call and tell me, ‘I can’t believe she did this, but she cut it out of the show.’”
Cho went on to share the producer’s words, revealing the level of admiration Bowie expressed: “‘But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit! God said your name.’”
She concluded with frustration, unsure whether the cut was personal or just due to time constraints: “[It’s] so rude! I don’t know if it was personal, maybe it was for time. But still, I’m going to take it personally just because I decided to.”
These remarks follow years of similar stories from other celebrities and former employees who have criticized DeGeneres’s behavior behind the scenes. In 2020, The Ellen DeGeneres Show came under fire during a workplace misconduct scandal, further amplifying scrutiny around the host’s real-life demeanor.
DeGeneres has not publicly responded to Cho’s recent claims.