She may be beloved by many, but Ellen DeGeneres can be quite the
controversial figure. For this list, we’ll be looking at various times in
which Ellen DeGeneres displayed unsavory and/or shocking behavior. Our
countdown includes not supporting the writer's strike, allegedly treating
her staff like "peasants", making Kathy Griffin cry, and more!
#10: Forgetting Katy Perry Was Married
Ellen has had a few problematic run-ins with poor Katy Perry. One came in October 2017, when Ellen referenced Katy’s breasts on Twitter while wishing her a happy birthday. The post was immediately labeled as s-xist, and some people saw it as a double standard within the industry, especially amidst the #MeToo movement that was occurring at the time. Another instance occurred on Ellen’s show, when she told Katy Perry directly to her face that she was never married. Katy was forced to awkwardly remind her about Russell Brand, which probably wasn’t easy considering she battled depression after the divorce. To make matters worse, Katy had to remind Ellen that she gave her wedding gifts on the show…
#9: Making Kathy Griffin Cry
There have long been rumors and allegations that Ellen is not nearly as
friendly as her public persona suggests. In fact, Kathy Griffin references
this in her book “Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index,” saying
that Ellen has “a mean streak that all of Hollywood knows about.” While
Kathy doesn’t explicitly mention Ellen’s name, she accidentally revealed
that the allegations were about Ellen while promoting the book. This caused
Ellen to call her up, and as Kathy recalls, “I think she had a thought that
she was going to…put me in my place.” The two proceeded to fight over the
phone, and when Kathy eventually hung up, she “sobbed like a baby.” Her
words, not ours. Let's move on!
#8: Calling Out Nancy
May we present to you one of the most controversial bits in “Ellen”
history. To test the honesty of her audience, Ellen and her team set up
hidden cameras in the gift shop and placed them near a free swag table. The
catch? You could only take one free item. Well, good ol' Nancy took more
than one item. So, Ellen decided to call her out – in front of everyone and
on camera! – and proceeded to make her sit in “Ellen jail,” which was a very
high seat to the side of the stage. Yeah, the whole thing is most likely
staged, but still, that just proves how fake and manufactured these
“hilarious” “skits” really are…
#7: Annoying Celebrities
By times Ellen can be so annoying that even her guests can’t hide their
frustration. Every now and again, Ellen does some kind of remote segment
where she takes celebrities out and does silly things with them in public.
And inevitably some end in the guest telling Ellen how annoying she is. Two
great examples of this happening are Michelle Obama and Cher. When Ellen
took Michelle Obama shopping to prepare her for life outside the White
House, it ended with Michelle telling Ellen that she’s “really annoying.”
Meanwhile Cher's clip sees her and Ellen styling hair for some fans. And
wouldn’t you know it, it ends with Ellen making fun of Cher’s lyrics and
Cher calling Ellen “a bitch.”
#6: Not Working with Howard Stern
Remember when Ellen was a judge on “American Idol?” Back in 2010, Ellen and
Howard Stern were embroiled in some drama when it was announced that Stern
was potentially taking over for Simon Cowell. Ellen wasn’t having any of
that, and she allegedly claimed that she would leave the show if Stern was
brought in. Howard reciprocated, telling Entertainment Tonight, “I won’t
work with Ellen. She’s out if I come in.” He was a bit more candid on his
radio show, saying, “I’m not going to sit there with her – that dummy.”
Luckily, they seem to have made up, and Ellen revealed on Stern’s show that
hosting “American Idol” was “one of the worst decisions [she'd] ever
made.”
#5: Dakota Johnson’s Birthday Party
If you’re not going to show up to someone’s birthday party, you better have
a solid excuse. Ellen didn’t. This awkward interaction began when Ellen
claimed that she wasn’t invited to Dakota Johnson’s birthday party. Dakota,
however, did invite Ellen, she just didn't show up. Ellen’s crew vaguely
responded that she was “out of town,” and Ellen answered in agreement by
saying she “had that thing.” When Ellen “remembered” that she had been
invited, she said that Malibu was too far away. So, to recap: she lied to
Dakota by saying she wasn’t invited, she didn’t give Dakota an excuse for
not showing up, only to claim that the party was “too far away.” Some
friend…
#4: She Didn’t Support the Writers’ Strike
From November 2007 to February 2008, Hollywood went through the 2007-08
Writers Guild of America Strike, centered on increased funding and profits
for professional film and television writers. Ellen was identified as the
first scab of the strike, as she crossed the picket lines and went back to
work after just one day of protesting alongside her writers. The WGA East
subsequently declared that Ellen was “not welcome” in New York following her
decision, and scathingly stated that she “couldn’t even stand by her writers
for more than one day – writers who have helped make her extremely
successful.”
#3: People Can’t Talk to Her on Set... Allegedly
If any stock is to be found in anonymous “insider sources,” then Ellen
really isn’t a good person to work for. For one, you literally can’t even
speak to her. Radar Online has alleged that only a select few employees are
allowed to speak to Ellen on set. They claim that employees are also
expected to turn their backs to Ellen as she walks by, which to us sounds a
little extreme and gossip-y, but hey, it could be true. The source is
directly quoted as saying, “No one is allowed to engage Ellen in
conversation or even look her in the eye.” We get wanting to work on a
big-time talk show, but that sounds like a pure nightmare.
#2: The George W. Bush Fiasco
Ellen found herself in a bit of trouble when she was caught attending a
football game with George W. Bush. Some felt this betrayed Ellen’s activism
within the LGBTQ community, as W was opposed to same s-x marriage while in
office. Ellen’s defense also garnered some criticism – she stated that we
should be kind to everyone, regardless of their personal or political
beliefs. This response led to accusations that Ellen practicing clear class
solidarity, that “being kind” trumped defending human rights, and that she
was telling the discriminated to forgive and befriend their oppressors. A
satirical video about the situation – which her team fought to erase –
certainly didn’t help matters…
#1: She Allegedly Treats Her Staff Like “Peasants”
We briefly touched on Ellen’s alleged hostile working relationship with her staff, but it gets much, much worse. Not only does she allegedly disallow conversation, she allegedly treats staffers as peasants. Aside from the no-speaky-speaky thing, she apparently also doesn’t brief her employees about the show, and we assume they’re supposed to just go along with her plans. It’s also reported that she has an enormous ego, flips out on people over the smallest things, and perhaps worst of all, generates discord within her staff by excluding certain people from events “to create tension, jealousy and hurt feelings.” She sounds like a great boss…
