Megyn Kelly rarely holds back her opinions about celebrity culture, but her latest comments about Ellen DeGeneres reached a whole new level of bluntness. During a recent episode, Kelly bluntly called the host a monster.
The remark came after a resurfaced claim about a strict rule that allegedly governed how staff behaved around DeGeneres. Curious how this old rumor resurfaced and why Kelly reacted so strongly? Let’s explore the intrigue behind it all.
A podcast conversation takes an unexpected turn
Kelly’s show often covers entertainment news, but this episode turned personal fast. Comedian Adam Carolla joined her for a candid discussion about celebrities whose public warmth allegedly does not match their private behavior toward employees.
Their conversation quickly zeroed in on DeGeneres, whose cheerful daytime persona once made her one of television’s most beloved hosts. Both guests seemed skeptical that the image matched what allegedly happened once cameras stopped rolling.
Adam Carolla sets the tone early
Carolla opened the discussion with a theory about celebrities who project excessive sweetness on screen. He suggested that overly cheerful public personas sometimes hide a much harsher reality for the people working closest to them.
He named DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell as clear examples, claiming that anyone who ever worked for either star could share stories about their difficult behavior once the television cameras were no longer rolling on set.
The Alleged No-Eye-Contact Rule Resurfaces
Kelly then repeated an allegation that she said came from a person who had worked for DeGeneres, relayed through that person’s blood relative, whom Kelly knew.
According to Kelly, the unnamed former employee claimed that staff members were instructed not to make eye contact with DeGeneres when encountering her in the studio hallways. Kelly did not identify the source or provide independent evidence supporting the account, and DeGeneres had previously denied that such a rule existed.
Megyn Kelly reacts with blunt words
Kelly did not hide her reaction to the claim at all. She expressed genuine disbelief that DeGeneres could impose such a rule on the very employees who helped build her career and daytime television empire.
Her response was direct and completely unfiltered. She said staff being unable to make eye contact with their boss sounded extreme, then flatly called DeGeneres a monster for allegedly treating people that way for years.
A story about a wedding raises questions
Carolla added another interesting anecdote to support his theory about DeGeneres. He recalled attending a wedding years ago where the comedian was reportedly the only guest who fully refused to join that evening’s dancing.
He found this surprising given how central dancing became to DeGeneres’s talk show identity. Her signature entrance dances made her famous, which made her reported reluctance to dance socially seem notably out of character overall.
The gap between image and alleged reality
Much of the discussion focused on the contrast critics perceived between DeGeneres’s public image and allegations about the workplace culture behind her talk show. For many years, she ended episodes by encouraging viewers to “be kind to one another.”
The controversy led some former employees and public figures to question whether that message reflected conditions behind the scenes. However, the public response was divided, and several celebrities and associates also defended DeGeneres or described positive personal experiences with her. The tension between her on-screen message and the workplace allegations nevertheless became a major part of the criticism surrounding the show.
Remembering the 2020 workplace scandal
This is not the first time DeGeneres has faced accusations about her workplace. Back in 2020, multiple former employees publicly described a toxic environment marked by alleged racism, intimidation, and inappropriate behavior from show producers.
An internal investigation by Warner Bros quickly followed those reports. Three top executive producers were ultimately fired, and DeGeneres later issued a public apology to her staff and audience during her show’s next season premiere.
How DeGeneres responded to earlier rumors
The eye contact rumor is not entirely new either. Years earlier, DeGeneres reportedly addressed these similar claims directly with her staff during a call, firmly denying that any such rule ever existed on her set.
She reportedly called the rumor insane and said it did not reflect who she really was as a person. Despite her firm denial, the claim has continued to resurface in conversations about her leadership style.
Why the show eventually came to an end
The fallout from the 2020 allegations coincided with a steady decline in ratings for DeGeneres’s long-running daytime program. Viewership dropped significantly over the following season as public scrutiny of the host intensified.
In 2021, DeGeneres publicly announced that her long-running show would conclude after its nineteenth season. The final episode aired in 2022, closing a chapter that once defined daytime television for nearly two full decades.
What this means for DeGeneres’s legacy
Years after stepping away from daytime television, DeGeneres still finds her name attached to fresh entertainment controversy today. Each resurfaced claim quietly reopens old wounds tied directly to her show’s turbulent final seasons and reputation.
Whether or not every single detail proves accurate, the continued attention clearly shows how difficult it remains for DeGeneres to fully move past allegations that ultimately reshaped her once dominant public image over recent years.
Featured Image: By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – Megyn Kelly, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149571099
