Ellen DeGeneres didn’t win the first impression rose from Ali Fedotowsky.
“The Bachelorette” alums Fedotowsky and Kaitlyn Bristowe got candid about the comedian while on the latter’s “Off the Vine” podcast last month.
“Did you ever meet Ellen DeGeneres? Was she nice or no?” Bristowe, 39, asked, to which Fedotowsky, 40, responded, “She made me feel pretty not great.”
Elaborating on her encounter with DeGeneres, the mom-of-two clarified, “It’s not that she was mean, per se, she just made me feel stupid.”
Fedotowsky recalled her appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which started shaky before the interview even began.
“I was so excited to be on the show. I don’t think she’s a bad person, I just think that sometimes when you do a job like that all day every single day for years, you’re just kind of over it. One, she’s talking to people who are crafted,” the reality star explained.
Noting her position on the talk show was that of a young girl in her twenties, Fedotowsky continued, “Here I am, this 24-year-old, famous for no reason, [I come] on her show, she’s probably like, I’ve got to talk to one of these idiots again.”
“I went on the show and I was dancing, you know how everyone comes out dancing? I was trying to be funny and personable. Instead of laughing with me, she was laughing at me. You know what I mean? So, I felt really stupid.”
Despite Fedotowsky not revealing which episode she’s referring to, clips have resurfaced online.
One video, in particular, is from a 2010 interview and includes a portion where DeGeneres jokingly asks the ABC vet if she’s “drunk” during their chat.
The comedian hosted “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” for 19 seasons, from its start in 2003 to its controversial end in 2023. Rumors of a toxic work environment ran rampant over the last few years, which caused the show to go off-air before its 20th season.
Last year, in the final stand-up special of her career, DeGeneres touched on the controversies, claiming she was “kicked out of show business” after reports alleged the star wasn’t as friendly in real life as her on-air persona.
“Yeah, the ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind, that was the headline. Here’s the problem, I’m a comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, ‘Be kind to one another,’” she said. “Had I ended my show by saying, ‘Go f–k yourselves,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised to find out I’m kind.”
Before her special, DeGeneres also shared she was “done” with fame.
“This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done,” she said during her comedy show in Santa Rosa, Calif., in July.
When a fan asked if she’ll voice Dory in “Finding Nemo” and “Finding Dory” again, she replied, “No, I’m going bye-bye, remember.”
Not only did DeGeneres step out of the spotlight, but she also moved across the pond with her wife, Portia de Rossi.
The couple recently purchased a property in the Cotswolds, about two hours outside of London, and are allegedly attempting to settle there permanently following Donald Trump’s election win.