Ellen DeGeneres been hit with accusations she treated female comic pal coldly for decades

Perth Now

23-06-2025

Ellen DeGeneres has been hit with accusations from a female comic she treated her coldly for decades despite the two comedians having known each other since the 1980s.
The former chat show host's daytime TV series ended in 2022 amid allegations of a toxic workplace environment, and Margaret, 56, has now blasted her personality.
She said during an interview on The Kelly Mantle Show, where Margaret reflected on her early days in stand-up alongside Ellen, now 67: 'Ellen was like really weird and not nice to me for most of my career.'
At the time Ellen's show was cancelled she said she was 'kicked out of show business' for being 'mean'. Her comments resurfaced during the promotion of her 2023 Netflix stand-up special, For Your Approval, part of her Ellen's Last Stand...Up tour.
Margaret also alleged her relationship with Ellen deteriorated as the latter's fame grew.
'I opened for her in the 1980s when she was a headliner in comedy clubs and not – way, way before her big fame,' she said.
The comic added: 'So then, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she acted like we just met. And I'm like: 'B****, what?'… Like, that's weird. We go way back.'
She went on to describe Ellen's behaviour as 'creepy and weird'.
Margaret also accused Ellen of cutting out a segment from her talk show that involved praise from David Bowie, who appeared as a guest and reportedly mentioned Margaret enthusiastically.
'He was so excited that, the night before, that I had come to his show wearing this giant Chinese emperor outfit,' she said.
Margaret added: '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.'
According to Margaret, a producer and personal friend later contacted her privately: '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.'
Margaret said: 'I don't know if it was personal. Maybe it was for time. But still, I'm gonna take it personally, just 'cause I decided to.'
Ellen has not publicly responded to Margaret's claims.
After her show ended, Ellen withdrew from public life, living in Montecito, California, with her wife Portia de Rossi, 51, before the pair recently relocated to the British countryside.
During her 2023 stand-up tour, Ellen addressed the backlash she faced, telling audiences: 'The hate went on for a long time and I would try to avoid looking at the news.
'The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind. That was the headline.'
Speaking to Rolling Stone, she also joked: 'Do you know how hard it is to dance up steps? Would a mean person dance up steps?'