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Comedian Margaret Cho has reignited a decades-long rift with Ellen DeGeneres, accusing the former talk show host of treating her unkindly throughout most of their professional overlap. Speaking candidly on The Kelly Mantle Show podcast on June 20, Cho, 56, painted a picture of a strained relationship dating back to the 1980s, when she opened for DeGeneres in comedy clubs before the latter rose to stardom.
Cho alleged that despite their history, DeGeneres later acted as though they were strangers. "She acted like we just met," Cho said, describing her appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the 2000s. "I'm like, 'Bitch, what? That's weird. We go way back.'" The remark reflected deeper frustrations, as Cho suggested DeGeneres's behavior was cold and exclusionary. "She was like a mean girl, kind of," Cho said, claiming DeGeneres harbored resentment, possibly because "her girlfriends and wives always liked me."
One of Cho's most pointed allegations centered around a 2004 Ellen interview with the late David Bowie. Cho recalled Bowie enthusiastically referencing her elaborate outfit, "a giant Chinese emperor costume", at his concert the night prior. According to Cho, that praise never made it to air. "She cut it out of the show," Cho claimed, adding that a producer and friend confirmed the footage was removed despite Bowie's extended admiration. "It made me so mad," she said, viewing the omission as deliberate and personal.
DeGeneres, who has yet to respond publicly to the claims, has been the subject of several such feuds. Rosie O'Donnell recently shared that she and DeGeneres "never resolved" issues from their past but insisted she holds no malice. Kathy Griffin has also publicly criticized DeGeneres, once saying on her YouTube channel, "I have a loathing for her that is epic."
DeGeneres concluded her daytime show in 2022 amid backlash over alleged workplace toxicity. In her 2024 Netflix special For Your Approval, she acknowledged the toll the controversy had taken on her. She and wife Portia de Rossi have since relocated to the English countryside.
Cho's remarks have added fresh scrutiny to DeGeneres's legacy and professional relationships. As Cho remarked, "I don't know if it was personal... but I'm going to take it personally because I decided to." Her words resonate as a reflection of deeper tensions in the comedy world, and a reminder that past wounds in entertainment often resurface long after the spotlight fades.
