Margaret Cho Opens Up About “Weird” and “Not Nice” Encounters with Ellen DeGeneres: “She Was a Mean Girl”

Margaret Cho is shedding light on her decades-long dynamic with Ellen DeGeneres — and it’s far from the friendly public persona many associate with the former daytime talk show titan.

In a candid interview on The Kelly Mantle Show, Cho didn’t hold back when asked about her history with DeGeneres, describing the now-retired host as “mean,” “weird,” and “not nice” throughout their shared careers in comedy.

“She’s somebody that I’ve known for such a long time,” Cho began. “The public perception of her is more true now than ever.”

From Stand-Up to Standoff

Cho, 55, reflected on their early days performing in the 1980s comedy club scene, where DeGeneres was already gaining traction as a headliner. Cho recalled opening for DeGeneres well before she became a household name and said their relationship has always been complicated — particularly when personal dynamics were involved.

“I think she always had kind of negative feelings towards me because her girlfriends and wives always liked me,” Cho explained. “She was like a mean girl. But also she would be real nice. There was something off.”

Despite their shared roots in stand-up, Cho claimed DeGeneres often treated her as if they were strangers — even after inviting her to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show years later.

“When I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she acted like we just met. And I’m like, bitch, what? That’s weird. We go way back. It’s so creepy and weird.”

The David Bowie Incident

One particularly sore memory involved a backstage moment with David Bowie — and a subsequent edit on Ellen’s show that Cho says left her furious.

“The night before [his Ellen appearance], I had come to his show wearing this giant Chinese emperor outfit. He was really thrilled about it and talked at length on Ellen’s show the next day.”

But when the episode aired, the entire segment was cut.

“The producer, who’s a good friend, called me and said, ‘I can’t believe she did this. But you need to know, Bowie was going on and on about your outfit. He loves you. God said your name.’”

Though Cho acknowledged that the edit might’ve been due to time constraints, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was personal.

“Still, I’m going to take it personally just because I decided to,” she said, only half-joking.

Ellen’s Silence — and Reputation

DeGeneres has not responded publicly to Cho’s comments. A request for comment from her representatives was not immediately returned.

These latest remarks come nearly three years after The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended its nearly two-decade run amid mounting allegations of a toxic workplace culture behind the scenes — allegations that significantly damaged DeGeneres’ once-wholesome image.

In the wake of those revelations, several celebrities and former staffers spoke out, offering accounts of cold behavior, intimidation, and emotional manipulation. DeGeneres addressed the controversy briefly in her farewell season and later in a Netflix stand-up special, saying she was effectively “kicked out of show business.”

A Long Road of Unspoken Tension

For Cho, who’s built a career on fiercely honest storytelling and boundary-pushing comedy, the encounters with DeGeneres appear to be part of a longer pattern — one that doesn’t surprise her anymore.

“Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career,” Cho said. “And I think that says more about her than it does about me.”

Watch the full interview on The Kelly Mantle Show below.

Editor’s Note: Ellen DeGeneres officially stepped away from the entertainment industry in 2022 after the final season of her daytime talk show. She has since kept a low profile, occasionally surfacing on social media or in private appearances.