Margaret Cho Accuses Ellen DeGeneres of Being 'Not Nice' to Her for Most of Her Career

Published: June 22, 2025

Margaret Cho has spoken out about her tumultuous relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, claiming that the former TV host was "not nice" to her for most of her career.

The 56-year-old comedian made the allegations during an appearance on The Kelly Mantle Show podcast, stating that DeGeneres, 67, would often act "like a mean girl."

"I think she always had negative feelings toward me because her girlfriends and wives always liked me," Cho said. "There's a kind of woman [who] loves a female comic."

Cho, who opened for DeGeneres in the 1980s when the latter was headlining comedy clubs, said that things took a turn for the worse when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the 2000s.

"She acted like we just met," Cho recalled. "And I'm like, 'B----, what?' That's weird. We go way back."

The comedian also alleged that DeGeneres once cut a portion of an interview with David Bowie from her talk show, where the late musician raved about Cho's outfit.

"It's so creepy and weird, but also, the other thing was, David Bowie had been on the show, and he was so excited that the night before that, I had come to his show wearing this giant Chinese emperor outfit," Cho said. "He was really thrilled about it, and he talked at length about it. And she cut it out of the show, which made me so mad."

Representatives for DeGeneres did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

DeGeneres, who ended her eponymous talk show in May 2022, has been keeping a low profile since then. She and her wife, Portia de Rossi, recently relocated to the English countryside.

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