- Rosie O’Donnell came out in defense of Ellen DeGeneres.
- The former talk show host said that she had “compassion” for the embattled comedian.
- Not only is O’Donnell’s defense of DeGeneres yet another example of celebrity tone-deafness, but it’s also completely self-serving.
Rosie O’Donnell has come out in defense of Ellen DeGeneres.
The former talk show host said that she “has compassion” for the embattled comedian, and feels that she’s unfairly being attacked.
That’s why I have compassion for Ellen [DeGeneres], right? I have compassion, even though, you know, I hear the stories and I understand. I think she has some social awkwardness.
Not only is that statement yet another example of celebrity tone-deafness, but it’s also completely self-serving, especially if you know anything about O’Donnell’s own spotty history.
Rosie O’Donnell Walked So Ellen DeGeneres Could Run
Long before Ellen DeGeneres was out making her employees miserable, Rosie O’Donnell had the market cornered.
In the 1990s, O’Donnell herself had a “Queen of Nice” persona that she fostered on her show, which ran from 1996 until 2002. Like DeGeneres, O’Donnell was untouchable for a while: she racked up five Emmy wins, was BFFs with Madonna (back when that meant something for your career), and infamously crushed on Tom Cruise.
It’s worth remembering that “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” gained in popularity during a time when the Internet was not as omnipresent as it is today. So, many people bought into O’Donnell’s persona hook, line, and sinker.
But behind the scenes, O’Donnell made Ellen DeGeneres look like Mary Poppins. It was so bad, in fact, that not even Oprah Winfrey could save her reputation when she tried to reboot her show in 2012.
[OWN] tried to rehabilitate O’Donnell’s image and channel more of her 1990s “queen of nice” bubbly persona than the darker, more controversial one we’ve seen in the final stage of her daytime talk show, on The View as well as on her Sirius XM radio show. But it proved hard for O’Donnell to escape her reputation and get viewers to fully embrace her they way they did 16 years ago. And she didn’t look as natural in that role as she was back in the day.
O’Donnell’s antipathy wasn’t just directed at her staff: her daughter, Chelsea, revealed that her mother was “not genuine,” that she was cruel and often “locked herself away” from the children, and wasn’t even engaged as a mother (preferring to allow her children to be raised by nannies rather than by herself and/or her wives).
The video below shows why O’Donnell isn’t exactly well-liked by her peers.
Is it any wonder that O’Donnell can relate to Ellen DeGeneres?
How Does This Prove That Ellen’s Innocent?
Once again, the question begs itself: how does treating celebrities with kid gloves and giving away promotional premiums paid for by advertisers prove that Ellen DeGeneres is a “nice” person?
We’ve established this time and again: of course DeGeneres is going to treat celebrities well. They have the power to get her canceled for real. Like a typical narcissist, she will only abuse those whom she deems powerless.
And considering the fact that rumors about her not-so-nice persona have been around for far longer than we initially realized, it would be the height of lunacy to suggest that every report about her cruel, inhuman behavior is nothing but a jealous lie.
Sorry, Rosie, but Ellen DeGeneres isn’t innocent in all this.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
