Margaret Cho Criticizes Ellen DeGeneres as “Mean Girl”

Comedian Margaret Cho has openly criticized Ellen DeGeneres, describing her as “mean” during a recent podcast interview. Cho pinpointed that the public perception now aligns more closely with her view, suggesting DeGeneres once exhibited some mean girl tendencies but was also capable of kindness.

Cho, who knew DeGeneres for many years, speculated that DeGeneres harbored negative sentiments toward her because her other female friends and partners liked Cho. She recounted that DeGeneres was not particularly friendly to her for much of her career, despite Cho opening for her in the 1980s before DeGeneres became famous.

Things shifted when Cho appeared on DeGeneres’ show in the 2000s. She claimed DeGeneres acted as if they had just met, despite their long-standing relationship. Cho also accused DeGeneres of editing out a segment of her interview with David Bowie, where Bowie expressed admiration for her. Cho shared that Bowie had been excited to talk about her, especially since she had previously worn a Chinese emperor costume to his show, but DeGeneres cut that part of the interview.

Cho also alleged that DeGeneres removed her comments about Bowie’s enthusiasm, which made her quite upset. She pointed out that DeGeneres’s show ended in May 2022, nearly two years after being marred by allegations of a toxic work environment, including claims of racism and sexual harassment.

Cho expressed disappointment over how DeGeneres’s behavior changed after she appeared on the show and revealed that her friendship with the host felt one-sided, especially given DeGeneres’s actions behind the scenes.

Attempts to get a response from DeGeneres’s representatives were unsuccessful, and she has yet to publicly comment on Cho’s claims.