Comedian Margaret Cho says Ellen DeGeneres was ‘not nice' to her
Comedian Margaret Cho has spoken out about her 'creepy and weird' encounters with Ellen DeGeneres.
Joining the chorus of people to air their unpleasant stories about the former talk show host, who now lives on a farm in the UK, Cho revealed she opened for DeGeneres at comedy clubs in the 1980s before they both hit the big time.
Years later, Cho said she was invited as a guest on DeGeneres' talk show, where she claimed the host pretended they had never met before.
'Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,' Cho said on The Kelly Mantle Show podcast.
'I opened for her in the 1980s, when she was a headliner in comedy clubs. Later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she would act like we just met. And I'm like, 'Bitch, what?' That's weird. We go way back. It's so creepy and weird.'
Things got weirder as Cho, 56, recalled a bizarre broadcast edit she felt was a personal swipe from DeGeneres, 67.
Remembering how she attended a David Bowie concert in a 'Chinese emperor outfit', Cho said the late singer went on DeGeneres' show the very next day where he talked at length about the comedian's fabulous attire at his show.
'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,'' Cho said.
'[The producer continued] 'But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. God [Bowie] said your name. He loves you.''
While unsure if the comments were cut for another reason, Cho conceded, 'I'm going to take it personally.'
DeGeneres, who is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi, quit her long-running talk show in 2022 following widespread reports of a toxic environment on-set.
It all started when a March 2020 tweet claimed DeGeneres was 'notoriously one of the meanest people alive', which was met by more than 1000 replies of people detailing their not-so-nice experiences with her.
The aftermath was even more brutal, with countless Ellen staff coming forward on the record with their own stories of bullying.
Addressing claims for the first time after her return to TV for the show's 18th season months later, DeGeneres admitted she was a 'work in progress' but pleaded to viewers that she is still 'the person you see on TV'.
'As you may have heard this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation. I learned that things happened here that never should've happened,' she said at the time.
'I take that very seriously, and I want to say I'm so sorry to the people who were affected.'
She admitted being known as the 'be kind' lady is 'a tricky position to be in'.
'Sometimes I get sad. I get mad. I get anxious. I get frustrated. I get impatient. And I am working on all of that. I am a work in progress,' she said.
'And I am especially working on the impatience thing because … and it's not going well because it's not happening fast enough.'
DeGeneres moved to the UK with de Rossi late last year, shortly after US President Donald Trump was elected.
She's shared brief glimpses on social media of her quieter life living on a sprawling property.
It is unclear where in the UK DeGeneres and de Rossi have relocated to, but they are rumoured to have set up in the English countryside.
Shortly after news of the couple's big move broke, the two were spotted out with a group of friends at The Farmer's Dog in the Cotswolds, a countryside region in England.
They had earlier in the year sold two of their homes in Montecito, California, in March and August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
UK PM Starmer says Kneecap should not perform Glastonbury
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday said it was not "appropriate" for Irish group Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, one of the country's biggest and most famous music festivals. Asked in an interview by The Sun tabloid whether the Irish rap trio should perform at the iconic festival next week, Starmer responded: "No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. "This is about the threats that shouldn't be made. I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate," he added. Kneecap has made headlines with their outspoken pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, with one of their members charged with a "terror" offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah. Last Wednesday, Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, appeared in court accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" at a concert that took place in London last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to show support for them. Glastonbury festival, attracting hundreds of thousands of music fans from around the world, is set to take place in at Worthy Farm in southeast England next week starting June 25. Kneecap is due to perform on Saturday June 28 on the West Holts Stage. The government had previously called on the organisers of Glastonbury festival to "think carefully" about the band's planned appearance there. The group has been pulled from a slew of summer gigs since, including a Scottish festival appearance and various performances in Germany. During their performances, rapping in Irish and English, Kneecap often lead chants of "Free, free Palestine" and display the Palestinian flag. The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative MPs. But they deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the flag has been taken out of context. O'Hanna, Liam Og O Hannaidh in Gaelic, who has been granted unconditional bail, told London's Wide Awake Festival in May the charge was an attempt to "silence us". The group, which shot to fame with their biting, provocative song lyrics and an award-winning docu-fiction based on them, slammed it as "political policing" and "a carnival of distraction".
Daily Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Chaos as $4 million horse loses mind and kicks out at handler
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Chaos hit Royal Ascot when winning horse Lazzat almost drop-kicked a groundsworker in the head after getting loose and going mad on Sunday morning. The Wathnan-owned sprinter just bagged more than $1 million for winning the Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs. The Sun reports. But when jockey James Doyle was about to be interviewed by ITV, the 9-2 winner appeared to get spooked by a cloth being raised in front of him. Like a red rag to a bull, the fired-up four-year-old dumped Doyle to the turf, turned round and then galloped off down the track. The horse was spooked following victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP. Jockey James Doyle falls off Lazzat. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP. Reacting to the scary scenes live, ITV Racing pundit Jason Weaver shouted: 'The sheet! Oh no, he's had a howler with the sheet!' While host Ed Chamberlin said: 'Lazzat won but that's a dramatic aftermath (the likes of which) I've never seen before at Royal Ascot.' Lazzat sent the handler through the rails. Photo: X. Groundsworkers tried their best to calm the horse as he hit top stride at the Berkshire track. But it came inches from turning incredibly nasty indeed when Lazzat, who was cornered by three men, lashed out with his hind legs at one of them. He just missed his head but the man fell through the running rail like a drunk boxer through the ropes. ITV cameras showed Lazzat jogging merrily around on his own, a long, long way from the finish post he had just passed. There was then further drama in the immediate aftermath as rumours swirled that Doyle could be disqualified because he only had ten minutes to weigh in and make the victory official. Doyle needed his saddle but the problem was that Lazzat was still half-way down the track. The horse ran free down the back straight. Photo: X. The poor handler saw his life flash before his eyes. Photo: X. It meant Lazzat, a notoriously tricky customer who had just been bought for enormous money by the Emir of Qatar, even kept King Charles waiting. The monarch was there to present the winning trophy to connections. Fortunately, Lazzat was eventually brought under control, Doyle was driven down to collect his saddle and then rushed back in a motor. It meant the next race was delayed for several minutes and eventually went off six minutes late. Lazzat, who was still very much on his toes in the winner's enclosure, was unhurt by his escapades - and was given a good cooling down after. Lazzat has won more than $4 million in prize money and last year finished second in the Golden Eagle at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney. — This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission Originally published as Chaos as $4 million horse loses mind and kicks out at handler
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Comedian Margaret Cho says Ellen DeGeneres was ‘not nice' to her
Comedian Margaret Cho has spoken out about her 'creepy and weird' encounters with Ellen DeGeneres. Joining the chorus of people to air their unpleasant stories about the former talk show host, who now lives on a farm in the UK, Cho revealed she opened for DeGeneres at comedy clubs in the 1980s before they both hit the big time. Years later, Cho said she was invited as a guest on DeGeneres' talk show, where she claimed the host pretended they had never met before. 'Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,' Cho said on The Kelly Mantle Show podcast. 'I opened for her in the 1980s, when she was a headliner in comedy clubs. Later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she would act like we just met. And I'm like, 'Bitch, what?' That's weird. We go way back. It's so creepy and weird.' Things got weirder as Cho, 56, recalled a bizarre broadcast edit she felt was a personal swipe from DeGeneres, 67. Remembering how she attended a David Bowie concert in a 'Chinese emperor outfit', Cho said the late singer went on DeGeneres' show the very next day where he talked at length about the comedian's fabulous attire at his show. '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,'' Cho said. '[The producer continued] 'But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. God [Bowie] said your name. He loves you.'' While unsure if the comments were cut for another reason, Cho conceded, 'I'm going to take it personally.' DeGeneres, who is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi, quit her long-running talk show in 2022 following widespread reports of a toxic environment on-set. It all started when a March 2020 tweet claimed DeGeneres was 'notoriously one of the meanest people alive', which was met by more than 1000 replies of people detailing their not-so-nice experiences with her. The aftermath was even more brutal, with countless Ellen staff coming forward on the record with their own stories of bullying. Addressing claims for the first time after her return to TV for the show's 18th season months later, DeGeneres admitted she was a 'work in progress' but pleaded to viewers that she is still 'the person you see on TV'. 'As you may have heard this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation. I learned that things happened here that never should've happened,' she said at the time. 'I take that very seriously, and I want to say I'm so sorry to the people who were affected.' She admitted being known as the 'be kind' lady is 'a tricky position to be in'. 'Sometimes I get sad. I get mad. I get anxious. I get frustrated. I get impatient. And I am working on all of that. I am a work in progress,' she said. 'And I am especially working on the impatience thing because … and it's not going well because it's not happening fast enough.' DeGeneres moved to the UK with de Rossi late last year, shortly after US President Donald Trump was elected. She's shared brief glimpses on social media of her quieter life living on a sprawling property. It is unclear where in the UK DeGeneres and de Rossi have relocated to, but they are rumoured to have set up in the English countryside. Shortly after news of the couple's big move broke, the two were spotted out with a group of friends at The Farmer's Dog in the Cotswolds, a countryside region in England. They had earlier in the year sold two of their homes in Montecito, California, in March and August.
