Comedy icon Margaret Cho isn’t holding back when it comes to her past interactions with Ellen DeGeneres. In a candid new interview on The Kelly Mantle Show, Cho revealed that DeGeneres was “really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,” shedding light on a decades-long uncomfortable dynamic.
Cho detailed her history with DeGeneres, explaining that their paths crossed early in their careers during the 1980s comedy club circuit. Cho even opened for DeGeneres when she was a headliner. However, the connection seemingly vanished when Cho later appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the 2000s. “Later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she would act like we just met,” Cho recounted. Her reaction? “And I’m like, ‘Bitch, what?’ That’s weird. We go way back. It’s so creepy and weird.”
David Bowie’s Praise on the Cutting Room Floor
Cho also recalled a specific incident that left a lasting impression. After attending a David Bowie concert dressed in an elaborate “Chinese emperor outfit,” Cho appeared on DeGeneres’s talk show the following day. During her segment, David Bowie himself reportedly complimented her attire. However, Cho later learned that Bowie’s remarks about her impressive look had been completely edited out of the 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 recalled. “‘But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. God said your name. He loves you.'”
Cho admitted she wasn’t sure if the comments were cut for time or another reason, but she’s taking it personally. “But still — I’m going to take it personally,” she said.
The “Scary” Side of Ellen
Cho had briefly touched on her feelings about DeGeneres in a 2020 podcast, hinting at a lack of camaraderie with fellow queer comedians who were closeted in the 1980s. When the scandal surrounding DeGeneres’s alleged toxic behind-the-scenes behavior on her daytime talk show erupted in 2020, Cho did not shy away from sharing her perspective. “I think she definitely is scary. I’m still scared of Ellen. Everyone should be scared of Ellen,” she stated at the time.
Following an internal investigation by WarnerMedia that found “deficiencies” in the show’s production, and the departure of three producers, DeGeneres chose to end her talk show in 2021 after 19 seasons. In her 2024 stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, DeGeneres joked about being “kicked out of show business” due to the allegations, quipping, “Yeah, the ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind, that was the headline.”
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She later clarified her motivations for pursuing comedy, stating, “I didn’t go into this business for money. It was about healing my childhood wounds. I thought if I could make people happy, then they’ll like me. And if they like me, I’ll feel good about myself. All I can say about that is, thank God for the money.”
Cho’s comments join a growing list of public criticisms leveled against DeGeneres by other comedians, including Rosie O’Donnell and Kathy Griffin.
Feature image: Wikicommons
