ELLEN: HOLLYWOOD’S MEANEST BOSS EVER?!
Fans and employees blast the talk show host for her bad behaviour
When a comedian on Twitter asked followers for anecdotes about what Ellen Degeneres is really like, boy, did he open a can of worms.
Despite being known as a cute, quirky friend to the stars and fans on her long-running talk show, it appears Ellen’s not such a fairy godmother to her staff.
Adding to people’s willingness to talk was the fact Kevin T Porter, who kickstarted the viral thread, offered to donate two dollars to the Los Angeles food bank for every “true story”. It’s not clear how many of these qualified for a donation.
Former employees have shared experiences of being told never to speak to the talk show host – or even look at her.
TV writer Benjamin Simeon claimed Ellen “has a ‘sensitive nose’ so everyone must chew gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her, and if she thinks you smell you have to go home and shower”. “A new staff member was told, ‘Every day she picks someone different to really hate. It’s not your fault, just suck it up for a day and she’ll be mean to someone else the next day.’”
Another person, “I heard Ellen insisted an assistant who was brand new to the show take Ellen’s... car out on a run despite the assistant not being comfortable with that. The assistant immediately backed into a pole and was fired.”
One Twitter user said she served Ellen, 62, and her Aussie wife Portia De Rossi, 47, at a restaurant, and that Ellen “wrote a letter to the owner and complained about my chipped nail polish”.
“I had worked until closing the night before and again the next morning, and it almost got me fired,” fi she shared. Another restaurant worker wrote, “My friend waited on her & she threw a plate of salmon in her face – it wasn’t what she ordered”. Ellen, who is vegan, also reportedly shut down a birthday barbecue for a long-time employee because the star “hates the smell of meat”.