Latest news with #TheKellyMantleShow
San Francisco Chronicle
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Margaret Cho to bring ‘most blistering and brutally honest show yet' to S.F.
Margaret Cho is fed up with the U.S. government, and plans to air her grievances during her next stand-up comedy tour. The San Francisco native is returning to her political comedy roots for Choligarchy, her upcoming run of shows scheduled to begin Aug. 1-2 in Provincetown, Mass. She'll then go on to hit nearly two dozen other cities — from Burlington, Vt. and Madison, Wis. to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. — throughout the fall and winter, before concluding with a one-night performance in her hometown on May 29, at the Palace of Fine Arts. 'I'm so frustrated with the state of the union and I know the only weapon I have is humor,' Cho said in a statement. 'I want to fight fascism with everything I have. This will be my most blistering and brutally honest show yet! Let's tear down racism, homophobia and sexism with all that we have.' Ticket presales begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 16, with general sales starting at 8 a.m. Monday, July 21. Cho broke through in the comedy scene of the early 1980s around the same time as Primetime Emmy Award winner Ellen DeGeneres. Though she recalls opening for DeGeneres at various comedy clubs before the disgraced talk show host reached widespread fame, Cho said the two never developed a friendship. 'Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,' Cho revealed during an appearance on ' The Kelly Mantle Show ' podcast in June. 'She was like a mean girl.' Cho's claims confirm allegations DeGeneres faced in 2022 of fostering a toxic workplace and mistreating staff on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.' Her employees' accusations ultimately prompted the show's cancellation. Despite her strained relationship with DeGeneres, Cho has gone on to have a successful career of her own that includes acting in TV and film. Most recently, the five-time Grammy- and Emmy-nominated star has been cast in the second season of the Disney+ original series 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and Gregg Araki's upcoming erotic thriller 'I Want Your Sex.' She even competed in the third season of 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' During her debut on the TV quiz show in January, she earned $54,100 for the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Friendly House, which aids women in recovery from substance abuse. Though the win secured her a spot in the subsequent semifinal game, Cho lost to East Bay comic W. Kamau Bell, who donated part of his $1 million winnings to Oakland schools via education nonprofit DonorsChoose.
Perth Now
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Ellen DeGeneres been hit with accusations she treated female comic pal coldly for decades
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 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?'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Margaret Cho Says Ellen DeGeneres Was ‘Really Weird and Not Nice' to Her
Margaret Cho described her strained relationship with Ellen DeGeneres during an appearance on a new episode of The Kelly Mantle Show. The comedian said DeGeneres always treated her like a stranger when she came on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, despite the fact that they had been around each other for years. 'Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,' Cho said on the show. '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.' More from Rolling Stone 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Margaret Cho, Bob the Drag Queen Lead 'Let's Get Wildfire Benefit Concert 'The Ellen Show' Staffers Say Ellen DeGeneres' New Netflix Special 'Missed the Mark' Ellen DeGeneres Jokes About Swapping 'Be Kind' Catchphrase for 'Go F-k Yourselves' in New Stand-Up Trailer She added, 'And I'm like, 'Bitch, what?' That's weird. We go way back. It's so creepy and weird.' Cho recalled a specific incident that stuck out to her as especially odd. David Bowie appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show the day after one of his concerts, at which Cho dressed up in an elaborate 'Chinese emperor outfit.' Bowie complimented the costume to DeGeneres, but the remark was edited out of the final broadcast. '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 explained. ''But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. God said your name. He loves you.'' She admitted she wasn't sure if it was actually a vindictive move, but added, 'Still, I'm going to take it personally.' DeGeneres' image took a hit in 2020 following a series of reports by BuzzFeed News in which employees at her show alleged racism, sexual misconduct, and intimidation at the hands of executive producers. Three producers were fired because of it, and DeGeneres issued an on-air apology. In 2022, singer Greyson Chance, whom DeGeneres signed to her label, told Rolling Stone he had 'never met someone more manipulative, more self-centered, and more blatantly opportunistic.' The Ellen DeGeneres Show ultimately ended in 2022 after 19 seasons. The host has since addressed the controversy on tour and in a stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, which aired on Netflix. 'The Be Kind Girl wasn't kind — that was the headline,' DeGeneres said in the special. 'Here's the problem, I'm a comedian who got a talk show, and I ended the show every day by saying, 'Be kind to one another.' Had I ended my show by saying, 'Go fuck yourselves,' people would've been pleasantly surprised to find out I'm kind.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
San Francisco Chronicle
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. comedian calls Ellen DeGeneres ‘a mean girl' after detailing strained relationship
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.
Cosmopolitan
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Margaret Cho Says Ellen DeGeneres Was 'Not Nice' to Her
Both Ellen DeGeneres and Margaret Cho are groundbreaking, female, queer comedians, but that doesn't mean they're friends! In a recent interview, Margaret opened up a little about her professional relationship with Ellen, claiming that the talk show host wasn't necessarily an ally in the industry. 'Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,' Margaret said during an appearance on The Kelly Mantle Show. 'I opened for her in the 1980s,' she explained, adding it was 'way before her big fame.' But despite their decades of shared history, Margaret said, 'Later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she acted like we just met. And I'm like, 'Bitch, what?' That's weird. We go way back.' Margaret went on to call the experience 'creepy and weird.' To be clear, Margaret doesn't seem all that bothered by how Ellen treated her in the past. She didn't take the opportunity to make digs or offer her own personal judgments. She even brushed off the 'weird' behavior, but there is one thing Ellen did that Margaret still takes personally. 'David Bowie had been on the [Ellen] show, and he was so excited that the night before that I had come to his show wearing this giant Chinese emperor outfit. And he was really thrilled about it and talked about it at length,' she said. 'And she cut it out of the show.' Margaret went on to say that she only knows about the anecdote because a producer at The Ellen Show called her. 'The producer, who was 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. But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. He loves you. God said your name,'' she recounted. And while she said she doesn't actually know if the segment was cut for personal reasons or just for time, she joked that she'll 'take it personally' anyways. And who could blame her? It is David Bowie, after all.
