Margaret Cho has levelled accusations against Ellen DeGeneres, asserting that the latter was "far from kind" to her throughout the bulk of her career, despite their shared comedic beginnings. In a recent guest appearance on The Kelly Mantle Show, the actress and comedian revealed that DeGeneres would pretend they were strangers whenever Cho graced The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a guest.
"Ellen was oddly distant and unkind to me for much of my professional journey," Cho lamented. "Back in the 1980s, I even warmed up the crowd for her when she was headlining comedy clubs, long before her mainstream fame. Yet, decades later, when I appeared on her talk show in the 2000s, she acted as though we had just crossed paths."
"I'm thinking, 'Seriously? What's that about?' It was bizarre. We have a long history. It's eerie and off-putting," joked Cho, who has been nominated for both a Grammy and an Emmy.
Cho also reminisced about an incident involving David Bowie, who was a guest on DeGeneres' daytime talk show. The night before his appearance, Cho had attended one of Bowie's concerts, dressed in what she described as a "Chinese emperor's attire." She later found out that Bowie had lavished praise on her outfit during his visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, although these comments were conveniently edited out of the broadcast.
"My producer friend had to call me and say, 'I can't believe she did this, but she cut it out,'" Cho recounted. "'But you should know, he wouldn't stop raving about your outfit. He even mentioned your name by God. He adores you.'"
While Cho conceded that the decision to omit Bowie's comments could have been due to time constraints, she still took it personally.
In the years leading up to the conclusion of The Ellen DeGeneres Show's 19th season in 2022, both DeGeneres and her show were entangled in controversy, including personal attacks and a BuzzFeed News exposé detailing allegations of a toxic workplace. This prompted an internal investigation by WarnerMedia and the dismissal of key executives.
Addressing the toxic workplace claims through the media, DeGeneres kicked off the 18th season of her show with an apology, informing viewers, "I have learned that unacceptable things have occurred here. I take this very seriously. And I want to express my deepest apologies to those who were affected."
When asked about her decision to end her daytime show after season 19, DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, "As a creative individual, one constantly craves challenges—and while this show is wonderful and enjoyable, it no longer presents a challenge for me."
Cho has previously weighed in on The Ellen DeGeneres Show's toxic workplace allegations, stating on the Hot Takes & Deep Dives podcast in 2020, "I believe she's intimidating. I'm still apprehensive around Ellen. Everyone ought to be wary of Ellen. I can't fathom what it would be like to work for her."
