Comedian Margaret Cho, 56, opened up about her uneasy experiences with Ellen DeGeneres, calling her behavior “creepy and weird” during a candid episode of the Kelly Mantle Show podcast.
Cho shared that she had opened for DeGeneres in the 1980s when the latter headlined comedy clubs. However, decades later, DeGeneres acted as if they had never met, according to Cho, which she found dismissive and unsettling.
One incident Cho recounted involved David Bowie, who enthusiastically complimented her elaborate “Chinese emperor” outfit during a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Cho claimed the segment was edited out, a decision she found pointed, especially after a producer friend confirmed the removal.
Cho speculated that DeGeneres may have been uncomfortable when women close to her expressed admiration for Cho. “Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,” she said, summarizing their decades-long estrangement.
These reflections come amid continued public discourse surrounding DeGeneres’s behind-the-scenes conduct. In 2020, former staffers alleged toxic workplace behavior on her show, contributing to its end in 2022.
While Cho acknowledged her comments were based on personal experience and interpretation, they echoed themes previously raised about DeGeneres’s public image and off-camera persona.
As of now, DeGeneres and her representatives have not issued a response to Cho’s remarks.
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