It should come as no surprise that TV personalities can be different when they are off camera.
However, when said celebrity ends every show by telling viewers to be kind, such change in attitude can be more controversial.
The recent online controversy is over Ellen Degeneres, most well known for the talk show that bears her name. It was initiated when Kevin T. Porter said he will donate $2 to the Los Angeles Food Bank for every crazy story about Ellen that users share with him on Twitter.
Since March 20th, Porters’ post has received more than 2,600 replies as of this writing. As Porter himself admits, there is no way for him to verify whether these stories are true. However, one former staff of the Ellen show did say that all the stories were true, although her veracity is also unknown.
Recently, the world’s richest comedian has received a lot of flak online. For example, she was criticized for likening her lockdown life to that in prison. Ellen resides in $27 million mansion in sunny California.
Moreover, she received criticism for replacing all the staffs of her show with freelancers instead of those in the union. This revelation hurt her standing as she was known for her progressive, liberal stance on social issues.
Individual accounts of her alleged diva attitude have sporadically surfaced both before and after the twitter thread was first posted online. A body guard who worked with DeGeneres and her family corroborated the stories in an Fox News interview last week.
This bodyguard said that he was in charge of Ellen and her company during the 2014 Academy Awards, when the comedian hosted the ceremony. He said that despite making slight eye contacts, DeGeneres never exchanged any words with him which was unusual even among celebrities.
Some believe that it is simply too difficult for people who live under privilege to understand normal, respectful interactions between people. One of the associate producers who had worked with Ellen in the past shared an anecdote that shows how connected the host was with the higher-ups.
The staff recalled an instance when Ellen was looking at her iPhone without glasses. The next thing she knew was that Ellen was on a phone call with Steve Jobs, advising him to increase the text size on iPhones.
Do you think these accounts are valid? Or are they just false accusations online? Share with us your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to follow us on Facebook for more news like this one.
Replaced!