Twitter Came Together To Share Horror Stories About Ellen DeGeneres––For Charity
And now for a little heartwarming example of how shared hatred can unite total strangers while raising some much-needed coin for the less fortunate. Comedian and former Gilmore Girls producer, Kevin T. Porter, started an initiative on Friday that thousands of others have been getting behind. He shared a tweet with his followers, stating that he would be donating money to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank––with a catch. Everybody who had a story about Ellen DeGeneres being a big old meanie should tweet him––and for every story he received, he’d match it with $2. Who says a global disaster can’t bring people together?
Now, there has been talk around Los Angeles for years about Ellen’s not-so-sweet off-screen demeanor. And not just whispers. Numerous comedians and television writers have publically shared horror stories about their experiences with Ellen.
I have always maintained that Ellen is a cartoon villain come to life––the woman sits there and watches with glee as celebrities are scared to death by shit jumping out of boxes. And when she’s not doing that, she’s snatching people out of the studio audience to compete for prizes––and if they don’t know the answers, they get yanked up to the rafters or drop into a bottomless pit.
Her show is an unwatchable circus of Kardashian interviews, down-on-their-luck drifters or preschool teachers getting gifted with big-ass cheques, and then forty minutes of Ellen dancing like an “after treatment” patient in a Boniva commercial. And then she signs off with “be kind to one another.” KIND?! Remember the time she made fun of a woman’s name on national television and got sued for it?!
Here’s the tweet that started it all:
Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen Degeneres always talks about! 😊❤️
She’s also notoriously one of the meanest people alive
Respond to this with the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean & I’ll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank
— Kevin T. Porter (@KevinTPorter) March 20, 2020
So Kevin, caught up in the spirit of giving, began recruiting stories about Ellen’s antics, onstage and off. Of course, some may be fudged, some may be true––but all in all, they certainly manage to paint a picture. I guess this is what happens when you’re forced to maintain a certain public persona for years: eventually, you just snap and take it out on people who are supposed to be your friends. I strongly encourage you to visit the Twitter thread and view for yourself. In the meantime, here are some of the gems.
I worked @RealFoodDaily, served her & Porsha at brunch. She wrote a letter to the owner & complained about my chipped nail polish (not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand). I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morn, almost got me fired.
— Chris Farah (@ChrisLFarah) March 20, 2020
Hoo boy, I have a few:
A friend of mine told me about a custodian she knew who was fired bc he was slightly autistic and forgot he wasn't allowed to look at or speak to her, and he loved greeting everyone.
— Josh Levesque (@JoshBLevesque) March 20, 2020
Remember when Mariah came pregnant on Ellen's show in 2008 and she tried to force her to drink alcohol to prove she wasn't? Despise all of Mariah's refusing to take part…
She had a miscarriage weeks later. pic.twitter.com/F0tdQOeioq
— Spanish Lamb 🦋 (@SkinnyLegendSP) January 16, 2020
B) 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 the day and she'll be mean to someone else the next day. They didn't believe it but it ended up being entirely true.
— Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) March 20, 2020
A lot of people are calling the Twitter stunt disingenuous and mean in and of itself. Before you make up your mind about Ellen, please, please, please remind yourself of the single greatest moment in the history of daytime television when Dakota Johnson calls Ellen out on her playground bullshit––and then watch Ellen REFUSE to let the matter drop, doubling-down about how hurt she was not being invited to another adult’s birthday party.
Pics: Wenn.com