Margaret Cho has criticized Ellen DeGeneres, calling the former talk show host a “mean girl” and accusing her of long-term coldness and professional snubs.
In a candid appearance on The Kelly Mantle Show podcast, the 56-year-old comedian and actress did not hold back when talking about the former talk show host.
She described DeGeneres as “somebody that I’d known for such a long time,” adding that the public perception of the 67-year-old as cold and unkind had finally caught up to the truth.
“It’s so weird now, [the] public perception of her is more true to… she’s mean,” Cho said. “She was like a mean girl, kind of, but also she would be real nice.”
The All-American Girl actress then speculated that DeGeneres may have harbored resentment toward her due to past romantic jealousy.
“I think she always had negative feelings toward me because her girlfriends and wives always liked me,” she claimed. “There’s a kind of woman [who] loves a female comic… But yeah, Ellen was really weird, and not nice to me for most of my career.”
Their connection dates back decades. Cho recalled opening for DeGeneres in the 1980s, “way before her big fame,” but said things shifted after she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show years later.
“She acted like we just met,” she said of the on-set interaction. “And I’m like, ‘B***h, what?’ That’s weird. We go way back.”
One of Cho’s most stinging accusations involves a moment she claims was deliberately erased from DeGeneres’ show. According to the Drop Dead Diva alum, David Bowie once appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and spoke glowingly about her, but the entire segment was cut.
“He was really thrilled about it, and he talked at length about it,” Cho said, recalling how she had worn a “giant Chinese emperor outfit” to one of Bowie’s shows. “And she cut it out of the show, which made me so mad.”
She said a producer friend later called to explain: “I can’t believe she did this, but she cut it out of the show. You need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. He loves you.”
Cho added: “I don’t know if it was personal, maybe it was for time. But still, I’m gonna take it personally because I decided to.”
DeGeneres has faced a barrage of criticism in recent years, culminating in the 2022 end of her daytime talk show following allegations of a toxic work environment.
In 2020, Variety reported employee complaints involving racism, sexual misconduct, and intimidation by senior producers.
DeGeneres addressed the accusations publicly, apologizing on-air and acknowledging that, “I’m in a position of privilege and power… I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
The damage, however, was done. Ratings faltered, and her once-beloved brand of kindness was overshadowed by scandal.
Returning to the stage last year with her Last Stand... Up tour, DeGeneres spoke candidly about her downfall.
“I got kicked out of show business. There’s no mean people in show business,” she joked during a set at the Largo theater, cited by The Guardian. “The hate went on for a long time... the ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind.
“I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps… Had I ended my show by saying ‘Go f*** yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised," she added.
Despite her humor, DeGeneres admitted the fallout was painful: “It was devastating, really. It took a long time for me to want to do anything again.” She said she “just hated the way the show ended,” noting: “I love that show so much and I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way.”