The Dark Truth About 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Ellen DeGeneres has a sterling reputation. In 2015, she even won the top spot in an online NBC News "State of Kindness" poll, with participants finding her nicer than other well-liked celebs like Jennifer Aniston and Chris Pratt. One former production assistant claims her time working with DeGeneres taught her how to become her "most authentic self." Needless to say, plenty of celebrities think she's amazing, and she's popular among her peers. When DeGeneres turned 60 in January 2018, celebrities like Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, and Justin Timberlake lined up to wish her a happy birthday.

Meanwhile, after well over a decade on air, The Ellen DeGeneres Show show remains as beloved and respected as its host, with her two-part birthday celebration in February 2018 drawing terrific ratings, thanks in part to appearances by the likes of Michelle Obama, Sofia Vergara, and Chance the Rapper.


But an institution as influential and long-running as The Ellen DeGeneres Show couldn't possibly dodge controversy altogether. From the many rumors that DeGeneres isn't quite as nice as she seems (The Bachelor's Corinne Olympios insists she's "aggressive") to bizarro lawsuits, disgruntled guests, and alleged backstage diva demands from Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Madonna, there are plenty of reasons to stop dancing for a moment to take a long, hard look at the darker side of The Ellen DeGeneres Show… even if it pains us to do so.


Does Ellen treat her staff like "peasants"?

For years, rumors have dogged DeGeneres that a tyrant lies in wait beneath that impossibly sunny exterior. In 2017, a source told Radar Online that the "Queen of Nice" has an innate knack for cruelty. Could the cuddly public persona be an elaborate ruse devised by a cold, calculating diva? Radar's source insists that "when the cameras aren't rolling, [DeGeneres] treats staffers as if they are her peasants!" They also allege only a few lucky souls are allowed to speak to the talk show host on set — nor can they look her in the eye. Crew members are allegedly expected to turn their backs when she strides by, saying "She doesn't even brief the staff about the show anymore!"

According to the same source, DeGeneres reportedly plays favorites. To "create tension, jealousy, and hurt feelings," she reportedly invites some staff to fun events and leaves others in the dust. If this source can be believed, DeGeneres once became so upset upon finding a loose thread hanging from her slacks that she demanded a staffer bring her a brand-new pair. The bad behavior allegedly gets worse any time DeGeneres is sparring with wife Portia de Rossi. "It's like walking on eggshells," the source insists.

To be fair, Gossip Cop makes a strong case for the whole story being trumped up. The website claims to be in cahoots with "many people involved in the production of DeGeneres' show" and says they've only heard good things about DeGeneres. We're banking on you, Gossip Cop.


She allegedly made Kathy Griffin cry

In 2016, Kathy Griffin wrote a blind item about a certain someone. Honestly, the item is so stunningly obvious, it barely qualifies as nearsighted.

In her book Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index (via Life and Style), the inescapable redhead claims a "talk show host" with "short blonde hair" is, to paraphrase, a dyed-in-wool meanie. Griffin implies this theoretical tyrant once kicked her out of a backstage dressing room at the Emmys. "I can't prove it," she writes, "but this person …. has a mean streak that all of Hollywood knows about."

In 2017, Griffin told Access Hollywood that DeGeneres was "furious" about the item. She says they bickered on the phone and Ellen barked, "I don't have to have anyone on my show that I don't like." After the call, Griffin "literally started sobbing." Adding more layers to this tawdry tale, Griffin told US Weekly that the beef stems from a 2007 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, during which DeGeneres basically called Griffin mean. (Is everyone mean?) Griffin recalls, "I was in the dressing room like, 'S***!' You're another woman comic, c'mon!"

That same year, DeGeneres spoke disparagingly of Griffin in a W magazine profile (via US Weekly), saying "I know [Griffin] had a big thing about wanting to be on the show. … She did a whole thing that I banned her from the show. I didn't ban her from the show, because first you have to be on the show to be banned."


She made The Bachelor's Corinne Olympios "uncomfortable"

Paying a visit to The Morning Breath podcast in 2017, The Bachelor's Corinne Olympios was asked by disgraced former hosts Claudia Oshry Soffer and Jackie Oshry if the rumors were true — Was Ellen DeGeneres really "not so nice"? And was the comedian "diva-ey" behind the scenes? After being interviewed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier that year, Olympios had to admit that, yeah, some of her experiences with DeGeneres weren't altogether positive on the day of taping. "I love Ellen so much," Olympios said, "When I was talking to her, I just felt like I was talking to Dory, and I was really excited." But instead of proving herself to be a lovably scrappy regal blue tang, Ellen just made her feel sorta rotten: "I've kept this in for so long," Olympios said, "but, to be honest, [DeGeneres] just made me a little uncomfortable."

For one thing, Olympis suspects she wasn't even supposed to see DeGeneres before taping began "because everybody got very nervous when we bumped into each other and you could tell they were like 'oh, s**t.'" For another, Olympios reveals DeGeneres was "very aggressive" and "very cold" prior to the interview.

Actually, perhaps a case could be made that DeGeneres was a bit aggressive during the interview, no?


Caitlyn Jenner felt "burnt" by Ellen

In 2015, Caitlyn Jenner made a rather damning confession on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Asked about her stance on same-sex marriage, the I Am Cait star acknowledged that "at first, I was not for it." The soundbite was subsequently picked up everywhere. Later that year, DeGeneres told Howard Stern she thought Jenner was unfairly passing "judgement about gay people and marriage". Then she quipped, "Maybe [Jenner] didn't want to dance with me [on the show] because I'm a lesbian."

In a subsequent interview with Andy Cohen on Radio Andy, Jenner touches upon the much-maligned interview. "I got burnt by Ellen on marriage equality," she says, claiming DeGeneres talked to her prior to the taping and convinced her to discuss her shifting stance on marriage equality.

To hear Jenner tell it, DeGeneres pulled a bait and switch on her. "All of a sudden, Ellen comes back and says, 'Sounds like you're really not for it.' I said, 'No I just said I was for it, but it was a progression.'" She thinks DeGeneres was unfair and deliberately "upped the ante," effectively luring Stern to say, "Yeah, I can't believe Caitlyn's not for marriage equality."

And as for that dancing joke? Jenner was outraged by it. "Why should somebody in my community say something like that?" she wondered, adding that she would have danced with Ellen "in a heartbeat" but Ellen "never asked me to dance."


Ellen was sharply criticized for ogling Katy Perry's "balloons"

Her heart was in the right place, but perhaps her eyes weren't.

In 2017, DeGeneres came under fire for a birthday tweet sent out to Katy Perry that said, "Happy Birthday, @KatyPerry! It's time to bring out the big balloons." The accompanying image didn't exactly leave room for the double entendre to breathe.

Many people were not impressed. The Twitter hordes were quick to pounce on Ellen's birthday wish with a #doublestandard hashtag. Some disgruntled members of the Twitterverse even compared Degeneres to Harvey Weinstein. Celebs were quick to jump in on the fray, with Piers Morgan tweeting, "If a man made this joke, Ellen would lead the cries of 'SEXIST PIG!'" Meanwhile, My Name is Earl actor Michael Rapaport wrote, "Imagine if Cam Newton or another man sent out this tweet and photo."

Some people thought the tweet totally contradicted her #MeToo monologue on October 19, which sharply criticized sexual harassment in all its guises. "This is not a male thing or a female thing," she said, adding, "We all want the same thing. We want respect, love, and kindness. And if I could have those three things and an iPhone X, I'd be happy."


Madonna's entourage: Like a headache

n 2015, The Ellen DeGeneres Show presented "Madonna Week", and allegedly her backstage demands were neither a holiday nor a celebration for producers. A source told Radar Online that "everyone that works there is really glad that it's finally over!" Apparently a full week of Madonna is one week too many. The pop superstar allegedly brought her own entourage, and they proved "so obnoxious that it just made for a really awkward time on set." (Too much early-morning voguing, perhaps.) Madonna reportedly demanded a set of trailers, a range of pricey health foods, and her own makeup and hair squad (that the studio allegedly needed to pay for).

According to Radar, the demands only got more ridiculous. Everyone was reportedly expected to "bow down to her" and staffers were forced to "bite their tongues" all week long. Plus, the pop star/conical bra proponent reportedly wanted to personally approve all footage prior to airing, and she allegedly insisted on changing each script until the material was to her "liking." By the end of the week, Radar claims DeGeneres was way over the "Live to Tell" singer.

Said their source, "Ellen is such a control freak. To have to surrender control to someone who calls the shots in every situation was incredibly hard for her."

Read More