S.F. comedian calls Ellen DeGeneres ‘a mean girl' after detailing strained relationship

San Francisco Chronicle​

6 days ago

Margaret Cho recently opened up about long-running tensions with fellow comic Ellen DeGeneres, describing a strained dynamic that dates back to their early days in stand-up during the 1980s.
'Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,' the San Francisco-born comedian revealed during an appearance on ' The Kelly Mantle Show ' podcast. 'She was like a mean girl.'
DeGeneres, who rose to mainstream fame for her on-screen generosity and positivity on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' recently retired from the public eye after being accused of fostering a toxic workplace and mistreating staff. Her Primetime Emmy Award-winning talk show was canceled in May 2022 after 19 seasons, following an internal review and departure of several producers.
Cho, reflecting on her own experiences, now confirms those reports weren't just tabloid drama.
'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 and I'm like, 'Bitch, what?'' Cho recalled during the episode, which was released on Wednesday, June 18. 'Like, that's weird. We go way back. It's so creepy and weird.'
Cho also said she learned from a friend, a producer on 'The Ellen DeGeneres' show, that David Bowie had praised her and her fashion choices during an appearance on the show, but that moment never aired because DeGeneres allegedly had it removed from the final edit.
'She cut it out of the show, which made me so mad,' Cho said. 'I don't know if it was personal. Maybe it was for time. But still, I'm going to take it personally.'
'I think she always had kind of negative feelings towards me because her girlfriends and wives always liked me,' Cho, who identifies as queer, said.
Before stepping out of the spotlight entirely, DeGeneres set out on a farewell stand-up tour last year, which included several Bay Area dates. During the shows, the comic reflected on being labeled the 'most hated person in America' and spoke candidly about how 'devastating' it was to fall so sharply from public favor.
But Cho says 'the public perception is more true' than DeGeneres's carefully crafted image ever was.
For her part, Cho has gone on to have a successful comedy and acting career, and has recently expanded her talents. In January, she smashed her ' Celebrity Jeopardy! ' debut, earning a quarterfinal victory after two Daily Double wagers. She wound up securing $54,100 for her charity of choice, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Friendly House, which assists women recovering from substance abuse.
Cho lost the subsequent semifinal game to East Bay comic W. Kamau Bell, who won the tournament and donated a portion of his $1 million winnings to Oakland schools.