Ellen DeGeneres‘ name is back in the headlines again — and it’s all due to some allegedly ridiculous interview rules given to a radio station Down Under!
Australian media executive Neil Breen was live on air on Tuesday morning hosting his radio show, 4BC Breakfast with Neil Breen, when he dropped the bomb on a truly ridiculous story about The Ellen DeGeneres Show‘s eponymous host from a sit-down they had several years ago.
Related: ‘The Ellen Show’ Is Now Being Investigated Over Toxic Workplace Claims!
Recalling a 2013 event when the comedienne came down to the southern hemisphere continent, Breen revealed some alleged “bizarre” pre-interview requirements made by Ellen’s production staff. The radio exec said to his audience (below):
“When Ellen DeGeneres came to Australia to do her show in 2013, I was the executive producer of the Today show, so we partnered with them. Originally she was going to cohost the Today show, then she was going to do this, then she was going to do that. The whole thing got watered down to Ellen DeGeneres would do a sit-down interview.”
From there, he recalled, the show’s producers decided longtime presenter and host Richard Wilkins would be the one to interview the now-62-year-old TV host. Breen dropped the bomb from there, reminiscing about how Ellen’s team allegedly called ahead with some very bizarre rules for dealing with the A-list celeb:
“Because it’s The Ellen Show, they controlled everything. They controlled the interview seats, the lights, how it would work, everything. The producers called us aside and said, ‘This is how it’s going to work here this morning. Ellen’s going to arrive at 10:15, and she’ll be sitting in this chair. And Richard, you’ll be sitting in this chair here. Neil, no one’s to talk to Ellen. You don’t talk to her, you don’t approach her, you don’t look at her. She’ll come in, she’ll sit down, she’ll talk to Richard, then Ellen will leave.’”
Oooooooookay!
Breen, who noted he “found the whole thing bizarre,” reiterated that he couldn’t actually tell whether Ellen herself was mean or not… because he never got to speak to her! Gotta follow the rules, ya know?!
Related: Ellen’s $27 Million SoCal Mansion Burglarized
The media exec was firm in saying he was “not blaming Ellen” for her staff members’ demands, though, before adding:
“I didn’t get to talk to her. I wasn’t allowed to. I don’t know if she’s a nice person or not. I wouldn’t have a clue. But I can tell you, the people who worked with her walked on eggshells the whole time.”
Interesting…
Of course, DeGeneres has been getting it from all angles in recent months, all beginning earlier this year when comedian Kevin T. Porter started a Twitter thread asking people to share stories about “Ellen being mean.” The thread immediately went viral with thousands of replies and apparent anecdotes about the actress’ alleged bad behavior. From there, multiple reports have since come out detailing alleged misdeeds made against the star’s production staff regarding a toxic work environment.
And now, this. Obviously, it’s not quite as big as some of the accusations previously levied against the host and her production team, but still, when will it end? 2020 has sucked for all of us… and Ellen, too!
[Image via WENN]
The post Radio Host Recalls ‘Bizarre’ Rules For Interviewing Ellen DeGeneres: ‘You Don’t Approach Her, You Don’t Look At Her’ appeared first on Perez Hilton.