Watch: Margaret Cho Says Ellen DeGeneres Was a Total Queen of Mean to Her

Margaret Cho says that dealing with fellow comedian Ellen DeGeneres was anything but a laugh: "Ellen was really weird and not nice to me for most of my career," the "I'm The One That I Want" star told podcaster Kelly Mantle on the June 18 edition of Mantle's show.

The Hollywood Reporter covered the exchange, quoting Cho saying, "I opened for her in the 1980s, when she was a headliner in comedy clubs, way before her big fame."

"Later, when I would do her talk show in the 2000s, she acted like we just met," Cho revealed.

"And I'm like, 'Bitch, what?'" Cho added. "We go way back. It's so creepy and weird."

The subject came up half an hour into the show, with Mantle simply saying, "Ellen."

That cue was enough for Cho, who opined that DeGeneres "was, like, a mean girl, kind of like, but also she would be real nice. I think she always had negative feelings for me because her girlfriends and wives always liked me."

Added Cho: "There's a kind of woman that loves a female comic."

But Ellen, Cho hinted, lost no love for her. She also spilled some tea about a time David Bowie appeared on Ellen's talk show and praised Cho's look – but viewers at home never knew it, because the music legend's comments are edited in a way that deleted mention of Cho.

The "Ziggy Stardust" singer "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 regaled.

"He was really thrilled about it and he talked at length about it, and she cut it out of the show," Cho added, to a gasp from Mantle.

"Which made me so mad," Cho continued, "and the producer, who was a really good friend of mine, had to call me and tell me, 'I can't believe that she did this, but she cut it out of the show. But you need to know that he was going on and on about your outfit. He loves you. God said your name!"

Calling the move "so rude," Cho added, "I don't know if it was personal. Maybe it was for time. But still, I'm gonna take it personally."

THR recalled that "DeGeneres and her show were met with controversy, including personal digs and a BuzzFeed News exposé detailing allegations of a toxic workplace" prior to an on-air apology from the talk show host at the start of the show's 18th season. The show ended after Season 19, with DeGeneres saying it was time to do something more "challenging."

But in her 2024 Netflix comedy special "For Your Approval," DeGeneres said she had been "kicked out of show business" following the allegations of meanness.

"You can't be mean and be in show business," the comedian said during her set. "They'll kick you out. No mean people in show business."

Hollywood, DeGeneres went on to add, "Kicked me out before because I told them I was out. No gay people in show business. They kick you out. Can't be gay and be in show business."

Following the 2024 election, reports said that DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, fled the United States for England.

Aside from Ellen DeGeneres, Cho and Mantle talked about drugs, anal sex, Dave Chappelle, the intense attacks being inflicted on the transgender community, and more. Watch the show below. (Mantle introduced the subject of DeGeneres at the 32:06 mark.)