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Celerity

(43,337 posts)
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:04 AM Apr 2020

People Are Finally Starting to See the Real Ellen DeGeneres and It Isn't Pretty

Replacing her own crew with non-union workers during the pandemic underscores how the talk show host’s cheery TV persona is miles away from who she is behind closed doors.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/people-are-finally-starting-to-see-the-real-ellen-degeneres-and-it-isnt-pretty

As America’s pre-eminent lesbian daytime talk-show host, Ellen DeGeneres has attained a somewhat unlikely arena of ubiquity in mainstream entertainment culture. But in the past year, there is evidence emerging that the tinge of mean-spiritedness that comes through in DeGeneres’ interviews and segments on The Ellen DeGeneres Show are consistent with a rumored behind-the-scenes demeanor. And now it’s not just a give-zero-fucks Dakota Johnson who is coming through with tales of the daytime media queen—it’s the workers. DeGeneres’ comedy and sitcom career famously came to a halt when, in 1997, she used an episode of her show, Ellen, to come out. Even Laura Dern, who played her love interest in the episode, reportedly couldn’t get a job for years afterward. Of course, both women have since seen comebacks that have catapulted them to stardom and riches, but Ellen has more recently received a kind of countercultural check.

Outside of her daytime audience and the celebrities she cavorts with, it appears that a good number of regular people—including several of the people who have worked for her and served her in other ways—reportedly find her to be reliably cruel. There have been rumor mills in the comedy and TV worlds about DeGeneres’ meanness for years. Late last month, a Twitter thread by comedian and podcast host Kevin T. Porter brought many out with first-, second-, and thirdhand stories about DeGeneres’ various transgressions, from refusing to make eye contact with interns to getting a waitress fired for having a chipped nail, and more. Almost none of these stories have been shared or confirmed by anyone still in the industry, but in 2014, former Ellen head writer Karen Kilgariff did share with Marc Maron that she was fired from the show after refusing to cross the picket line during the 2008 writers’ strike. DeGeneres has allegedly not spoken to Kilgariff since.

Earlier this year, DeGeneres came under fire for more public-facing actions. After photos came out of her laughing it up at a Dallas Cowboys game with former U.S. President George W. Bush, fans and critics expressed anger that the host would get chummy with the head cheerleader of the Iraq War (and a vehement opponent to gay marriage). DeGeneres dismissed the criticism by saying that liberals and conservatives should be able to reach across the aisle to be friends.

But more recently, it’s become clear that DeGeneres doesn’t quite extend that self-styled grace toward those who cannot escape by virtue of being the head of it: the incarcerated. Performing a monologue from her multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills home during the California coronavirus lockdown, DeGeneres cracked that being self-isolated “is like being in jail. It’s mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone here is gay.” Once again, viewers were incensed, and pointed out the obvious incongruity of the “joke”: As DeGeneres lounges in her enormous home, filming the show she earns $70 million a year to host, prisoners are being packed like sardines without any protective equipment as the virus spreads from guards to them, and even suffering beatings from some of those guards for daring to seek medical treatment.

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People Are Finally Starting to See the Real Ellen DeGeneres and It Isn't Pretty (Original Post) Celerity Apr 2020 OP
Look. That's the problem with putting public figures on pedestals jimfields33 Apr 2020 #1
Yeah Proud Liberal Dem Apr 2020 #6
Absolutely. Me too. jimfields33 Apr 2020 #8
I have had to learn to do that through the years. Jamastiene Apr 2020 #32
Dory is no longer on my list of favorite people. Ferrets are Cool Apr 2020 #2
I don't watch her, but I also don't read tabloid hit jobs. Hortensis Apr 2020 #3
Just this morning I said "My Dad keeps his cell neater than mine" Iggo Apr 2020 #12
:) Responses suggest the pack mood here is very different. Hortensis Apr 2020 #17
Damnit. Maru Kitteh Apr 2020 #25
Sorry, I did it to myself also. Doughnut NOW! nt Hortensis Apr 2020 #31
Those are Christmas donuts - probably stale by now. Totally Tunsie Apr 2020 #53
Lol, but sprinkles! A pair of grandsons have been doing a bunch Hortensis Apr 2020 #54
Everything's better with sprinkles! Totally Tunsie Apr 2020 #55
The previously unartistic littler one turns out to be going Hortensis Apr 2020 #58
Baking in particular is great for science & math. When my oldest grandson was still quite young... Hekate Apr 2020 #78
:) Wistfully. Yes, here too. Hortensis Apr 2020 #79
The being-in-jail joke is kinda funny, and not edgy at all. If everyone is going to BusyBeingBest Apr 2020 #4
It alludes to scummy jail rape "jokes" that are not permitted on DU, plus "above the peons" tudes.nt Bernardo de La Paz Apr 2020 #20
Tasteless, sure, but I've heard a lot worse. Drunken Irishman Apr 2020 #26
It would be different if she wasn't also gay--she live love laugh Apr 2020 #77
Lots of celebs are full of themselves and treat the "hired help" poorly. stopbush Apr 2020 #5
Now do "Why We Don't See Brendan Fraser Anymore." Iggo Apr 2020 #7
She's had a hidden reputation for years. liberalmuse Apr 2020 #9
could be. and frankly she doesn't matter to me stopdiggin Apr 2020 #52
Pretty harmless joke about being in jail methinks jcgoldie Apr 2020 #10
Um, "getting a waitress fired for a chipped nail" GusBob Apr 2020 #29
Never been a fan. roamer65 Apr 2020 #11
She is a human being. n/t Marrah_Goodman Apr 2020 #13
Well, maybe. But sometimes her human suit makes her itchy. GoneOffShore Apr 2020 #60
"refuses to make eye contact with interns" Raine Apr 2020 #14
Kind of like Meg Ryan hiding on the floor of her limo, so that the 'extras' couldn't see her. GoneOffShore Apr 2020 #38
Due to my mild Asperger's... mbusby Apr 2020 #43
I'm extremely shy and often find it hard Raine Apr 2020 #65
I think it's so telling to call her a Lesbian Talk Show Host LakeArenal Apr 2020 #15
I agree that her sexual orientation is not even important. Jamastiene Apr 2020 #27
I caught the "lesbian talk show host" comment as well. Not necessary at all for the article. hadEnuf Apr 2020 #44
Its ridiculous how your orientation or color HAS to be mentioned in stories. oldsoftie Apr 2020 #47
Unless you're the default color. Iggo Apr 2020 #67
Wow, that article seems really petty and desperate to me. Goodheart Apr 2020 #16
Quite the Hit-Piece on Ellen. MineralMan Apr 2020 #18
The link in the piece to the Variety article bolsters what the author is saying. GoneOffShore Apr 2020 #37
It's really irrelevant to me. I don't watch the show. MineralMan Apr 2020 #39
I reckon sometimes some folks need to be "hit". nt oldsoftie Apr 2020 #49
Bingo. Thank you. GoneOffShore Apr 2020 #61
She's toast. A HERETIC I AM Apr 2020 #19
No worries rusty fender Apr 2020 #40
And your point is? GoneOffShore Apr 2020 #62
My point rusty fender Apr 2020 #72
You never know. That net worth figure may or may not be leveraged to the hilt. A HERETIC I AM Apr 2020 #73
I agree with you rusty fender Apr 2020 #75
She has been well-known in the industry for many, many years as an awful person. RedSpartan Apr 2020 #21
This - I responded below JustAnotherGen Apr 2020 #23
I dont get it. Which happens a lot oldsoftie Apr 2020 #70
Well known in the entertainment JustAnotherGen Apr 2020 #22
Lumping her in with convicted rapist Weinstein? Give me an effing break redstateblues Apr 2020 #28
Just the nastiest of the nastiest JustAnotherGen Apr 2020 #41
Jeezus frigging cripes. Goodheart Apr 2020 #34
Crippety crippety h-e-double-flippin hockey sticks kcr Apr 2020 #74
Since seeing her yuck it up with Bush.... Jamastiene Apr 2020 #24
Her defense of Kevin Hart's ugly homophobic jokes was the last straw for me. cwydro Apr 2020 #33
People with a net worth of a half billion dollars usually are. AtheistCrusader Apr 2020 #50
Michelle Obama yucked it up with Bush, too Wednesdays Apr 2020 #80
Not buying it ibegurpard Apr 2020 #30
Meh MenloParque Apr 2020 #35
Never bought what she was selling. Same with the oleaginous Ophrah. GoneOffShore Apr 2020 #36
She's no different from Sean Hannity, rusty fender Apr 2020 #42
Who cares? ashredux Apr 2020 #45
you apparently Celerity Apr 2020 #48
Although I have always felt she was Karma13612 Apr 2020 #46
Her whole "coming out" was a joke anyway. Who DIDNT know she was gay to begin with. oldsoftie Apr 2020 #51
You should rethink this premise jcgoldie Apr 2020 #64
And everyone has an opinion oldsoftie Apr 2020 #69
Very mean spirited piece. Mosby Apr 2020 #56
I agree n/t Marrah_Goodman Apr 2020 #57
tell that to the union workers she sacked and replaced with scabs Celerity Apr 2020 #59
That's the part that bothers me. crickets Apr 2020 #71
good thing the obamas never palled around with W in photos.... msongs Apr 2020 #63
Oh brother. This is being propagated by disgruntled laid off employees. n/t KWR65 Apr 2020 #66
Why are we periodically bombarded by pieces questioning Ellen DeGeneres' character every few months? Tommy_Carcetti Apr 2020 #68
Laura Dern hasn't had a gap in her career since she was 16 n/t TexasBushwhacker Apr 2020 #76

jimfields33

(15,787 posts)
1. Look. That's the problem with putting public figures on pedestals
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:13 AM
Apr 2020

Everyone forgets they are human who screws up from time to time. I also don’t think it’s healthy for humans to look to others for their moral compass.

Proud Liberal Dem

(24,412 posts)
6. Yeah
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:19 AM
Apr 2020

I'm sure that there are a few who probably are great people on and off the set (Tom Hanks, probably? I've never heard anything bad about him) but TBH I just try to enjoy the content people put out and less on idolizing the actual people/creators.

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
32. I have had to learn to do that through the years.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:59 AM
Apr 2020

I have had a few eye opening encounters with celebs. They are people, just like we are. Sometimes, their personas do not match who they are or who they become later. I'd rather enjoy the art they make for us, because that is the real beauty and the real thing to concentrate on, not the flawed person who creates it.

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
3. I don't watch her, but I also don't read tabloid hit jobs.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:17 AM
Apr 2020

This collection of petty gossip and innuendo is downright ugly.

Btw, how many people have said they feel like they're in jail or prison lately? What happens if one of us does here? No excuse for those red in tooth and claw who look for excuses to attack.

Iggo

(47,552 posts)
12. Just this morning I said "My Dad keeps his cell neater than mine"
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:24 AM
Apr 2020

Hope I don’t get cancelled.

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
54. Lol, but sprinkles! A pair of grandsons have been doing a bunch
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 02:39 PM
Apr 2020

more baking as part of home schooling -- science experiments. My daughter doesn't care for comments from me on that. She was one of the traumatized parents with things not coming together on the school side for a while also, but cupcakes and so on have been helping them all.

Hekate

(90,671 posts)
78. Baking in particular is great for science & math. When my oldest grandson was still quite young...
Fri Apr 24, 2020, 12:59 AM
Apr 2020

...we did measuring-spoon and measuring-cup fractions. I talked to him about how yeast is alive.

Wistfully,

Hekate

BusyBeingBest

(8,052 posts)
4. The being-in-jail joke is kinda funny, and not edgy at all. If everyone is going to
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:18 AM
Apr 2020

express outrage at every joke a comedian makes because he or she is personally wealthy, then I guess Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Jim Gaffigan, etc. all better hang it up too. This whole "you're too wealthy to be relatable anymore so your career is over" seems to be reserved just for her, though. I'm not an Ellen fan, but this article is double-standard-ish. I also don't really care if she's kind of a jerk sometimes personally. I assume most famous people are, and try to enjoy their work anyway.

live love laugh

(13,104 posts)
77. It would be different if she wasn't also gay--she
Fri Apr 24, 2020, 12:46 AM
Apr 2020

is and it’s COMEDY. This hit piece feels like a reach. Betting Ellen hangs in there—she’s weathered choppy seas before.

stopbush

(24,396 posts)
5. Lots of celebs are full of themselves and treat the "hired help" poorly.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:18 AM
Apr 2020

I just have never liked Ellen. She’s not funny and her little girl schtick is annoying.

stopdiggin

(11,301 posts)
52. could be. and frankly she doesn't matter to me
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 02:13 PM
Apr 2020

in the slightest one way or another. But if that is the case .. the "beast piece" did a remarkably poor job of making that case. And the faux outrage over the prison routine ...? (and wherever that originates?) Okay .. this is why a lot of us don't really give a sh**.
--- ---

jcgoldie

(11,631 posts)
10. Pretty harmless joke about being in jail methinks
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:23 AM
Apr 2020

... and "refusing to make eye contact with interns" is the best they could do providing examples of her terrible cruelty? Geez.

roamer65

(36,745 posts)
11. Never been a fan.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:23 AM
Apr 2020

I have heard of these rumors for years and she has a very plastic, fake persona on TV.

GoneOffShore

(17,339 posts)
38. Kind of like Meg Ryan hiding on the floor of her limo, so that the 'extras' couldn't see her.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:12 PM
Apr 2020

Or Michelle Pfeffeir never having her name on her trailer door, but the name of the character in her previous movie.

These people get a little crazy.

mbusby

(823 posts)
43. Due to my mild Asperger's...
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:51 PM
Apr 2020

...I seldom make eye contact with anyone (except occasionally for my wife, who doesn't care).

LakeArenal

(28,817 posts)
15. I think it's so telling to call her a Lesbian Talk Show Host
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:34 AM
Apr 2020

I never heard Colbert referred to as a heterosexual talk show host.

My dad was a racist koolade drinker. He Loved babies and dogs. He was very much abused as a child.
I loved him very much and miss him.
I compartmentalized my feelings.

I’m sure Ellen is a complex person with many faults and many sweet qualities.

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
27. I agree that her sexual orientation is not even important.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:53 AM
Apr 2020

There is no need to even bring that into the conversation. I have many criticisms about her, but being a lesbian, which I am too, even though I identify myself as a gay woman because I hate the way homophobes lesbian, isn't even important to the conversation. It is her actions that disgust me at times.

hadEnuf

(2,189 posts)
44. I caught the "lesbian talk show host" comment as well. Not necessary at all for the article.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:53 PM
Apr 2020

Hints at being a RW hit piece in disguise.

oldsoftie

(12,533 posts)
47. Its ridiculous how your orientation or color HAS to be mentioned in stories.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 02:02 PM
Apr 2020

"top rated daytime TV host" would suffice

Goodheart

(5,321 posts)
16. Wow, that article seems really petty and desperate to me.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:35 AM
Apr 2020

That's the worst they've got? SERIOUSLY? One of the most visible persons in the world for many years and all they can produce are rumors? Or that an employee was fired?

Sorry, but they didn't make their intended point with me. All I see is character assassination.

MineralMan

(146,288 posts)
18. Quite the Hit-Piece on Ellen.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:37 AM
Apr 2020

From the get-go with the "lesbian" identification. Very odd, I think. And that wasn't the only derogatory reference in the article. I'm bemused, rather than amused by this.

Hmm...might the author dislike Ellen for some reason?

GoneOffShore

(17,339 posts)
37. The link in the piece to the Variety article bolsters what the author is saying.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:09 PM
Apr 2020

Non-union workers on a SAG/AFTRA show. IATSE is not well pleased. And having IATSE upset is almost as bad as upsetting Teamsters.

A HERETIC I AM

(24,367 posts)
19. She's toast.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:42 AM
Apr 2020

Lately there has been a shit load of stories about her being a mean, downright nasty person to people, not just her guests. Horrible to flight attendants, to guests, to restaurant workers, etc. Her apparent LOVE of scaring people, the bullshit she pulls that show her propensity for domination. This will not end well for her.

This story will snowball.


She won't have a show inside 6 months, I am convinced.

GoneOffShore

(17,339 posts)
62. And your point is?
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 03:10 PM
Apr 2020

Just goes to show that having that much money doesn't make you a better person.

Which she seems to be proving.

 

rusty fender

(3,428 posts)
72. My point
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 06:58 PM
Apr 2020

is that she doesn’t have to worry about her show being cancelled, per Heretic I Am’s post.

A HERETIC I AM

(24,367 posts)
73. You never know. That net worth figure may or may not be leveraged to the hilt.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 07:14 PM
Apr 2020

Last edited Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:50 PM - Edit history (1)

Maybe not. If she has been smart about her money, then sure, she can fade away and live very comfortably.

But there have been plenty of people that precede her who once their income stream dried up, their finances went to shit.

I just think she will lose her show because public opinion on her will shift, and she will be seen as toxic to advertisers, that's all.


RedSpartan

(1,693 posts)
21. She has been well-known in the industry for many, many years as an awful person.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:42 AM
Apr 2020

I'm NOT NOT NOT comparing the situations, but it's like Cosby or Weinstein in that it's an open secret.

Nothing in the article is surprising.

JustAnotherGen

(31,818 posts)
23. This - I responded below
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:45 AM
Apr 2020

Not at their level - but still . . . an open secret.

Ditto Don Henley and his song 'Dirty Laundry'. He was even too dirty for Don Johnson - and Johnson is no choir boy himself.

JustAnotherGen

(31,818 posts)
22. Well known in the entertainment
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:44 AM
Apr 2020

World for years. And we have some hooks in hour home to that world. That's why I don't watch her show or put her up on a pedestal.

Not an 'hit job' -as much of an open secret as Harvey Weinstein.

JustAnotherGen

(31,818 posts)
41. Just the nastiest of the nastiest
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:35 PM
Apr 2020

She's a nasty piece of work and she isn't the lover of animals she pretends to be.

Jimminy h Christmas - I have as much tolerance for her as I do Oprah - who has palled around with Geffen (who pals around with Bryan Singer and all of the other rapey guys in Hollywood). Both have looked the other way on a LOT of nasty shit.

Not beyond the pale - just not 'star struck' by less than stellar people.

Jamastiene

(38,187 posts)
24. Since seeing her yuck it up with Bush....
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:49 AM
Apr 2020

she's fair game for criticism. I was beyond disgusted by that. She isn't making me not like her much at all. That is for sure. Then again, I have always had a gut reaction to her that I could not quite put my finger on.

 

cwydro

(51,308 posts)
33. Her defense of Kevin Hart's ugly homophobic jokes was the last straw for me.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 12:21 PM
Apr 2020

I liked her back in the day, but I think she’s WAY too full of herself.

ibegurpard

(16,685 posts)
30. Not buying it
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 11:57 AM
Apr 2020

I've noticed a paticular youtuber who has videos slamming Ellen that keeps showing up in my suggestions lately. Someone's making a point about trying to trash her and that's what's not pretty. Reminds me of the abusive boss Amy Kobluchar stories.
I'm sure she can be terrible at times just like everyone else who we don't see concerted efforts to trash.

GoneOffShore

(17,339 posts)
36. Never bought what she was selling. Same with the oleaginous Ophrah.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:06 PM
Apr 2020

Goes back to A Massive Swelling by Cintra Wilson, where she examines 'Celebrity Culture'.

We've always had it, but it really has gotten worse since the 1950's.
Much, much worse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Massive_Swelling
 

rusty fender

(3,428 posts)
42. She's no different from Sean Hannity,
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:39 PM
Apr 2020

in that she sells a persona, otherwise known as acting. I’ve never seen her talk show, but apparently her catchphrase is “be kind.”

Karma13612

(4,552 posts)
46. Although I have always felt she was
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 01:57 PM
Apr 2020

Unfairly treated after coming out during a show, I have sometimes had misgivings about her “generosity” on her show.

As with Oprah, she gives away tons of money thru lavish gifting episodes around the holidays.

I know this is probably network-based and I KNOW it isn’t her money personally.

But, it irks me that she even agrees to do this as part of her show.

Why can’t she ask that the money be given to Food banks or other non-profits so it benefits a larger group than just some lucky people who get selected to be in her audience.

Always rubs me the wrong way.

oldsoftie

(12,533 posts)
51. Her whole "coming out" was a joke anyway. Who DIDNT know she was gay to begin with.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 02:06 PM
Apr 2020

It was a ploy for her then-primetime show to boost ratings. And it failed miserably.

jcgoldie

(11,631 posts)
64. You should rethink this premise
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 03:12 PM
Apr 2020

Saying anyone coming out on their sexual orientation is a joke because everyone knew they were "gay to begin with" is just offensive and borderline homophobic.

oldsoftie

(12,533 posts)
69. And everyone has an opinion
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 04:30 PM
Apr 2020

Ellen never talked about it but she also never hid it. Like many others. They are gay but make no "announcement" about it. It wasnt a revelation to anyone who knew who she was or followed her career. So maybe the announcement wasnt a "joke", but the timing was.

crickets

(25,969 posts)
71. That's the part that bothers me.
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 04:41 PM
Apr 2020

The rest of it - ehn, I dunno, but not hiring her own crew? Not hiring union? That's not right.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,181 posts)
68. Why are we periodically bombarded by pieces questioning Ellen DeGeneres' character every few months?
Thu Apr 23, 2020, 03:42 PM
Apr 2020

Maybe she's a really mean person.

Maybe she's really nice.

I've never met her so I can't personally say one way or another. Guess I'll just have to accept the mystery.

But more importantly, why the hell is whether Ellen is a nice person or not in any way, shape, or form important or newsworthy?

I don't get it.

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