Guests on Ellen DeGeneres' show are warned not to be 'funnier or smarter' than host, says audience member
A guest who previously appeared on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' has reportedly claimed that people are warned not to be funnier than their host Ellen and that her cheery persona does not extend beyond the cameras.
The 29-year-old Dana Dimatteo was an audience member on an episode of Ellen's popular talk show in 2018 and was called to participate in the Make It Rain segment, which sees contestants get drenched in water while attempting to win a $10,000 cash prize. Having traveled from Los Angeles to Chicago to be a part of the show, Dimatteo was understandably excited at having her name called out by Ellen but said her experience was soured after noticing the host's behavior while she was not being filmed.
"During commercial breaks, Ellen would break out of her 'kind' character and sit moodily in silence on her couch, not acknowledging anyone," Dimatteo told The Sun. "She didn’t say one word to the audience unless the cameras were on, she snapped out of her character the second the cameras stopped rolling." Dimatteo also shared how they were warned by producers that if they did end up being picked from the audience to participate in one of the segments, they had to ensure they were not funnier than Ellen. She said they were also tested to see if they could show the required amount of excitement if they were lucky to be called.
"My friend and I loved the show and it took us so long to get tickets," she said. "We flew all the way to Los Angeles from Chicago just for that. We were told by the producers that if we were picked we were not allowed to be funnier or smarter than Ellen, that she is the star and the comedian, not us." She continued, "We were told to act in a very specific way and to only speak if she asked us a question. They made us scream and jump around backstage as a test, it was pretty humiliating."
A video of the segment uploaded on Ellen's official YouTube channel shows Dimatteo and another participant jumping around in joy after they were selected. Both then answered a few questions about themselves before going on to play Make It Rain and ending completely soaked, The 29-year-old revealed that after the segment ended nobody even bothered to get them a fresh set of clothes.
"Once the game was over, we were soaking wet so they sent us backstage," she said. "Then they just left us there…we waited pretty much the whole show in our soaking wet clothes for someone to bring us dry things to change into. It was really cold and uncomfortable. I didn’t enjoy myself on the show. You have to follow all these rules, you can’t be yourself, you have to clap constantly and laugh at things that aren't funny."
This is not the first time that Ellen has been accused of being cold and uncaring, with several former employees and participants on her show coming out to share how the 62-year-old is not pleasant to be around.
One former camera assistant even compared the environment on the set of the show to the 2006 movie ;The Devil Wears Prada'. "I worked there for a little over a year. It's kind of like 'The Devil Wears Prada'. Everyone is trying to make it to the [end of a] year. It's just a badge of honor to have that and have it on your résumé," the ex-staffer said. They also added, "I wasn't even allowed in the same room as her. Most people are told, 'When Ellen enters the room, you and your entire crew need to leave'. Sometimes her bodyguards come forward first and you kind of see them and you know to leave and that's it."