MC Ellen DeGeneres has repeatedly faced criticism for her controversial actions.

Recently, Ellen DeGeneres and her famous talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (The Ellen Show), have been embroiled in shocking scandals. These include allegations of two-faced behavior, fostering a toxic work environment, unfairly firing employees, inadequate pay policies, and even sexual misconduct by senior staff members. However, this is not the first time Ellen has been caught up in controversies related to her show. Over her 17-year career with The Ellen Show, she has frequently been criticized for excessive jokes, inappropriate remarks, and intentionally making guests uncomfortable.

1. Forcing Mariah Carey to Drink Alcohol to Reveal Her Pregnancy

In late 2010, when Mariah Carey appeared on The Ellen Show, Ellen pressured her to reveal her pregnancy by insisting she drink wine. Mariah, visibly uncomfortable, barely sipped the drink. Unfortunately, not long after, Mariah suffered a miscarriage, leading to increased backlash against Ellen for her actions.

2. Criticized for Inappropriate Jokes with Guests

In 2013, when Taylor Swift was a guest on The Ellen Show, Ellen persistently probed into Taylor’s past relationships, listing names of her ex-boyfriends despite the singer’s evident discomfort. Ellen then asked about the inspiration behind Taylor’s song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, trying to get her to name the ex it was about, but Taylor refused to answer.

Ellen then suggested a game in which pictures of Taylor with male celebrities would appear on screen, and Taylor had to ring a bell if they were an ex. Taylor declined, saying she didn’t want to disrespect her past relationships. However, Ellen continued flashing images on screen, prompting Taylor to scream in frustration. It wasn’t until she was on the verge of tears that Ellen finally stopped.

In 2015, Ellen embarrassed Justin Bieber by bringing up his leaked nude photos and asking awkward questions about his past relationships, including ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez and then-girlfriend Jayde Pierce.

In 2017, K-pop group BTS became the first Korean boy band to appear on the show. However, Ellen made them uncomfortable by asking if they had ever had “one-night stands” with female fans. The members were visibly shocked, and V immediately signaled, “Never.” After intense backlash, Ellen had to publicly apologize on social media for her inappropriate question.

3. Mispronouncing Guest Names

Hasan Minhaj, a well-known Indian-American comedian, writer, producer, and political commentator, appeared on The Ellen Show in April 2019. Although Ellen expressed admiration for him, she mispronounced his name. Hasan insisted on correcting her, emphasizing that his name was significant, especially since his parents were in the audience.

4. Awkwardly “Calling Out” Guests, Only to Be Corrected on Air

In November 2019, actress Dakota Johnson appeared on the show and mentioned celebrating her birthday the previous month. Ellen immediately joked about not being invited to Dakota’s birthday party. Dakota, however, firmly responded that she had invited Ellen. When Ellen expressed doubt, Dakota provided proof, forcing Ellen to admit she had forgotten about the invitation.

5. Accusations of Guest Discrimination

Dutch beauty vlogger Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials) appeared on The Ellen Show in January 2020 after her viral video revealing her transgender identity. While their conversation seemed friendly on air, Nikkie later exposed Ellen in a talk show in her home country.

She revealed that, despite being a fan of Ellen, she was disappointed by the cold treatment behind the scenes. Nikkie described feeling unwelcome and noted that, unlike other celebrity guests, she was not given a private restroom. Instead, she had to share with others, while the Jonas Brothers had their own despite their segment receiving fewer views than hers.

6. Comparing Lockdown to Prison

In April 2020, The Ellen Show was broadcast from Ellen’s home due to the COVID-19 lockdown. During one episode, Ellen joked that being in lockdown was like being in prison:

“One thing I’ve learned during quarantine is that it feels like being in prison. I’ve been wearing the same clothes for over ten days, and everyone in this house is gay.”

This comment, referencing her wife Portia de Rossi, sparked outrage from viewers who felt it was an inappropriate comparison.

The Future of The Ellen Show

Following these recent controversies, rumors suggest that Ellen DeGeneres is struggling with the media backlash and is considering stepping away from her show. Reports also claim that James Corden, host of The Late Late Show with James Corden, may replace Ellen as the host.