David Spade reveals he confused Ellen for a pop icon at her party: 'I thought you were...'

David Spade might’ve had a bit too much fun at Ellen DeGeneres’s epic 60th birthday party as he recalls a hilarious story
PUBLISHED APR 2, 2025
Screenshot of David Spade and Ellen DeGeneres from 'The Ellen Show' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | The Ellen Show)
Screenshot of David Spade and Ellen DeGeneres from 'The Ellen Show' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | The Ellen Show)

David Spade was among the huge list of A-list celebrities at Ellen DeGeneres's 60th birthday bash, and he has the best story to tell. In 2018, the 'Lost and Found' actor confessed on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' how he mistook Ellen for Justin Bieber. Dishing out the details of the wild night, he began, "Everyone’s been buzzing about [the party]." He told the audience, "I got a Fallout invite, which is great. And oh, the celebs! They were really packed in there like ‘stardines.’ They were everywhere, and I bother all of them, as you know. I get in their grill. I never have anything to say — it’s a real conversation. They don’t know what’s going on."



 

The night took a turn when Spade got a little too "relaxed" at the party. "One of Ellen's rapper buddies whipped out some medical marijuana — a big rolled-up doobie of it." When Ellen interjected, "Now you’re talking about Diddy," Spade confirmed, "Yeah, he took a hit — I know all the lingo, he took a pop off it. And then he looks at me, and I go, ‘Yeah.’ ‘Cause I don’t want to be like, a narc, you know? So I get it, and of course, I took the biggest hit, and I coughed for maybe 40 minutes. Like, classic. Then I give it back and I go, ‘Hey, good batch,’ or whatever, I don’t know what to say. I try to be cool — I go, ‘Is that Hawaiian?’"



 

What followed was a hilarious series of events. "Everything's cool for a second, and then it hit me..." Spade recalled. "Oh, boy. You know, in those nuclear movies where it flattens everything?" he joked. "That's half my brain just went down, and I was like, (singing) ‘Hello, darkness, my old friend.’ I was starting to space out a bit because I was sort of in a half coma," he said. DeGeneres burst out laughing as Spade explained his confusion. "I did see you — in fairness, I thought you were Justin Bieber for the first half hour. It’s only because of your haircut! Not what you were wearing; you looked great."


 
 
 
 
 
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Trying to make it through the night, Spade shared how he almost had an encounter with Oprah Winfrey. However, "the little embers of my brain that were still alive go, ‘Nope, abort, abort!’ Like Waze, ‘Get off here!’" he joked. Realizing he was far too out of it, Spade decided it was time to leave. "I didn’t really bother anyone else. I think [Leonardo] DiCapriogot away with a fist bump," he said. "And I get in the elevator, which is lit like Ralph’s. It’s so bright, it’s like the produce section. I get out, go to my car, slide in, and my driver goes, ‘You okay?’ I go, ‘Absolutely not.’ Think I got home, do not remember going home, and I’m still in the same outfit."



 

Ellen herself acknowledged the legendary night in the episode following her birthday celebration. "Some of you are thinking, 'Wait a minute, Ellen, your birthday was two weeks ago.' Let me correct you: my birthday started two weeks ago," she joked, adding, "And then I had this party this weekend. My birthday is like an entire season. It’s like Christmas and the flu," as per People. Oprah also raved about Ellen's party during her appearance on the 'Ellen DeGeneres Show', she said, "Ellen's birthday party was the.... I can't remember in my life having that much fun," according to EOnline.

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