Rosie O’Donnell Refers To Ellen DeGeneres’ ‘Social Awkwardness’
Fans of Ellen DeGeneres once considered the talk show host to represent all things good. Her catchphrase, “Be kind to one another,” perfectly captured her image as a benevolent person who would never let fame and fortune get to her head. Yet DeGeneres’ initial kind-hearted image was shattered after multiple accusations against the talk show host have been made public. Rosie O’Donnell weighs in on the heat DeGeneres is currently facing.
Ellen DeGeneres receives backlash for ‘toxic work environment’
In March of 2020, comedian Kevin T. Porter created a twitter thread, asking people to share their worst experiences with the talk show host. He continues to label her as “One of the meanest people alive.” The thread ended up going viral, garnering over 70,000 likes. One of the most notable claims is that DeGeneres refuses to let her employees look her in the eye.
While a few celebrities have come to the talk show host’s defense, many of these A-list stars have faced backlash, considering her favoritism of celebrity. The people who have stood up for DeGeneres include Katy Perry, Ashton Kutcher, Scooter Braun, and Kevin Hart. Rosie O’Donnell, who has known DeGeneres for decades, speaks out about the recent reports regarding the Finding Dory actor. What does the former talk show host have to say about DeGeneres?
Rosie O’Donnell has compassion for Ellen DeGeneres
Rosie believes that having the kind of power DeGeneres has, can “skew” your perspective. Referring to her own experience as a talk show host, Rosie tells Busy Phillips,
“It’s very hard to do. I’m telling you. It was hard to do because there is something that it fills, there is some space in your life that it fills, but your perspective is so skewed as to what’s important and what’s valuable. About you as a human being, and just about being in the world as a participant… If you have a daily show, you can’t fake your essence.”
Because of this, Rosie ended up quitting her talk show so as not to change her character. She adds, “There’s no amount of money or anything that can make me do that.”
Since Rosie can understand how DeGeneres got to the place that she’s currently in, she reveals that she has “compassion” for the talkshow host. Rosie essentially is under the impression that DeGeneres let fame and fortune get to her head.
“That’s why I have compassion for Ellen,” she admits. “I have compassion. Even though I hear the stories and I understand, I think she has some social awkwardness. I think from knowing her for so many years, I have my kind of history with her.”
Ellen had a historical moment on ‘The Rosie O’Donnell Show’
DeGeneres officially came out in 1997, revealing to Time Magazine: “Yep, I’m gay.” Yet in 1996, the Find Nemo voice actress appeared on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, where she and Rosie hint at their sexuality. At this point, neither of them had come out of the closet yet. (Rosie wouldn’t come out until a few years later.) In the interview, DeGeneres says her character on her sitcom is “Lebanese” (of course, code for “lesbian.”) Rosie responds, “maybe I’m Lebanese.” In response, DeGeneres says, “I pick up sometimes that you might be Lebanese.”
