Margaret Cho Labels Ellen DeGeneres ‘Mean Girl’ in No-Holds-Barred Podcast Revelations

23 June 2025

Margaret Cho dissed “mean girl” Ellen DeGeneres in a scathing podcast interview. Kelly Mantle Show/YouTube

In a bold and candid appearance on the Kelly Mantle Show podcast, comedian Margaret Cho reshaped the narrative around her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, shared recollections that surprised many, and stirred a fresh wave of debate around one of America’s most iconic talk show hosts. The revelations centered on early career intersections, unspoken tensions, and a broadcast cut she found deeply personal. The fallout has only intensified scrutiny on DeGeneres’ famously affable public persona.

Cho, 56, and DeGeneres, 67, go back nearly four decades to the 1980s, when Cho opened for DeGeneres at comedy clubs. “We go way back,” Cho emphasized. But when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the 2000s, she recounted an unsettling shift. “She acted like we just met,” Cho said. “And I’m like, ‘Bitch, what?’” The memory evoked a mixture of disbelief and hurt especially from someone who had admired DeGeneres’s career so closely.

Cho pressed her point further, asserting that public perception of DeGeneres as sweet and genial no longer matched her experiences. “She was like a mean girl,” Cho said, layering irony into her description. “Not nice to me for most of my career.” The candid admission stood in stark contrast to the beloved happy-to-please archetype DeGeneres cultivated on-air and through her be kind mantra.

Cho didn’t pull punches when attributing motives. She suggested that jealousy among DeGeneres’ romantic partners “her girlfriends and wives” may have influenced underlying friction. DeGeneres’ companionships often translate into subtle shifts in dynamics among peers, and Cho speculated that personal feelings might have influenced DeGeneres’ behavior. The implication was clear: Cho felt marginalized despite their shared histories and her own professional achievements.

Perhaps most jaw-dropping was Cho's account of a major snub: DeGeneres allegedly excised an entire portion of a segment featuring the late David Bowie praising Cho’s extravagant “giant Chinese emperor” outfit, worn by Cho the night before Bowie appeared on Ellen. The As the producer reportedly told Cho, Bowie had been so enthusiastic that he wanted to discuss the outfit at length but DeGeneres opted to cut it from the final broadcast. “It was so creepy and weird,” Cho reflected, hurt by what she took as a deliberate omission.

Timing only added to the complexity: DeGeneres ended her show in 2022, following widespread reports of toxic workplace allegations, which included episodes of staff bullying and racism. Cho’s testimony reinforces a growing number of accounts from celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell and Ali Fedotowsky who characterized DeGeneres as distant or even hostile off-camera.

Furthermore, Novelist Adam Grant once observed that public personas often reveal only a fraction of who people really are. For DeGeneres this divergence from kindness-influenced brand to alleged behind-the-scenes rough edges now feels like a hallmark rather than an anomaly.

Cho’s comments coincide with several high-profile reexaminations of the DeGeneres brand: Netflix canceled her stand-up residency in 2024 and she relocated out of the U.S. earlier this year, reportedly disillusioned with fame’s pressures exiting the country entirely in the wake of fall 2024’s Netflix incident .

These revelations illustrate the complex calculus of celebrity: the way an artist's public allowances cut spots, friendly segments can mask unresolved resentments, selectivity, and emotional stays in power dynamics. That Cho termed the omission “creepy” underscores her sense that what happened was deeply personal, not professional .

Ellen’s team has not responded, leaving the door open for further escalation. Will Bravo era confrontation or today’s candid solo interviews bring fuller accountability? Only time will tell.

What continues to resonate is the collision between image and experience. A beloved TV host marketed as a beacon of kindness dubbed “America’s friend” is now being challenged by those who knew her in less-televised moments. Cho, who has long tackled race, gender, and sexuality in her comedy, asserts her authenticity once again by exposing the unseen emotional complexities in a relationship few expected to fracture.

For entertainment observers and industry insiders, this moment serves as a stark reminder: behind every brand lies an unseen reality. Cho’s words may prompt other comedians and creatives to speak up, and media consumers to look beyond slogans.

As DeGeneres settles into life in the U.K. and charts her post-talk-show evolution largely removed from flashing lights and scripted gags the final defining question will be how she responds. Will silence serve her, or will she choose to address the fractures publicly?

Meanwhile, Cho stands firmly in the light. In naming her experience, she signals a shift one where comedic reckoning meets cultural release, and where the layers of fame are ripe for reexamination. Only one thing seems certain: kindness, in the world of celebrity, must be authentic to have currency.