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Receipts came for Ellen DeGeneres in a big way in 2020. Her years of being out of touch, dismissive, rude, etc, were exposed, and people acknowledged that the atmosphere of casual cruelty she fostered at her eponymous talk show was an open secret in Hollywood. Not helping matters was the fact that Ellen had crafted her on screen personality as the “Be Kind” lady. So The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended in 2022 with a whimper instead of a dance party, and although Ellen attempted a comeback in stand up last year, people weren’t really buying what she was selling. (In fact, the only work I’ve seen Ellen do lately are the Kind Science skincare infomercials.) Now, several years after the fallout, actress/comedian Margaret Cho is chiming in with her Ellen experiences, of which she had plenty, considering Margaret opened for Ellen when they were both working the comedy club circuit in the 80s. That shared history made it extra awkward decades later when Margaret would appear on Ellen’s show… and Ellen would act like they’d never met.
Margaret Cho won’t be sending Ellen DeGeneres a friendship basket anytime soon.
The comedian says the former talk show host acted as if they were strangers when she’d make appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, despite the fact that they were both working in the comedy circuit in their early days in the 1980s.
“Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,” Cho revealed on a new episode of The Kelly Mantle Show.
She went on to explain how the two knew each other. “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.”
Cho then quipped, “And I’m like, ‘Bitch, what?’ That’s weird. We go way back. It’s so creepy and weird.”
The actress and comic then recalled a specific incident that stuck with her when another guest praised her on DeGeneres’ talk show. Cho had attended a David Bowie concert dressed in what she described as a “Chinese emperor outfit,” and the next day, while visiting the show, the singer complimented her elaborate attire to DeGeneres. However, she learned afterwards that Bowie’s remarks about her during that segment had been edited out for 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 that she wasn’t sure if Bowie’s comments about her impressive look were cut from the show for time or for another reason. “But still — I’m going to take it personally,” she said.
Acting like you’ve never met someone you’ve totally met many times before is such a mean girl move, my gosh. I agree with Margaret, “Bitch, what?” And then for Ellen to cut out another guest — David freakin’ Bowie! — complimenting Margaret, that’s just another textbook mean girl move, that also speaks to Ellen’s insecurity. What a lovely snapshot of the late Starman, though. I especially love the producer saying to Margaret of Bowie, “God said your name. He loves you.” And here’s a smattering of fun facts to tie everything together: Margaret Cho and I actually attended the same high school in San Francisco! Only Margaret was expelled, and I was a class speaker at graduation. Now Margaret has carved out a career as a performer on her own terms (including a supporting part in Dying For Sex; if you haven’t watched that show yet, what are you waiting for?!), Diplomas are great, but not necessarily everything. And as for Ellen, she and wife Portia de Rossi were able to buy a home in England and GTFO of Trump’s America, so perhaps she’s still getting the last laugh on us.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Faye Sadou/Avalon, IMAGO/RW/Avalon, Getty, Wilson Webb/Netflix
