The Truth Behind Ellen and Cher’s Bizarre Friendship

But Cher savagely denied they were friends at all. Cher has been a longtime guest on Ellen’s talk show, and they have also known each other for more than two decades. So why would Cher clap back at her “friend” like that?  Let’s dive deeper into the feud between Cher and Ellen.

Apparently, Cher’s appearance on The Ellen Show marked the beginning of the animosity between them. Apparently, the comedian’s “kill-them-with-kindness” approach clashed with the singer’s straightforward, “shoot-from-the-hips” attitude. Cher must have sensed something about Ellen that didn’t quite pass the smell test.

The singer felt so strongly about denying her friendship with Ellen that she dropped some pretty strong language when describing Ellen as a person. What could Ellen have done to deserve such a brutal clap-back from the Goddess of Pop?

Ellen evidently loves it when Cher comes on as a guest. She has every reason to want the music legend to grace her show. Unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual. There have been moments over the years when the two clearly did not get along.

Cher probably knew that the jig would be up for her someday. Despite Ellen’s likable persona, her nice gal reputation, and her sunny on-screen disposition, Cher did not buy the front. Cher’s years of being in showbiz probably gave her the “nose” to sniff out that kind of personality.

Jennifer Aniston remained friends with the comedian even after the scandal broke out. Ellen’s wife, Portia de Rossi, also remained true. Even talk show host Oprah Winfrey and singer Pink did not let the revelations ruin their relationships with the host.

Regular viewers of her daytime talk show may have missed the times when Ellen showed her dark side. They should have taken a hint when she found it fun to regularly scare her executive producer Andy Lassner in front of an audience.

Kathy Griffin detailed the incident in her book Celebrity Run-Ins. In it, Griffin recounted receiving a call from Ellen. After they talked, Griffin “sobbed like a baby” because of Ellen’s “mean streak”. The experience was a shock to Griffin at the time, considering how much she’d idolized Ellen before.

In Swift’s interview on the show in 2012, she seemed to be visibly annoyed at Ellen’s questions. The comedian deliberately pried into Taylor Swift’s past relationships. Flustered, the singer commented, “Every time I come up here, you put, like, a different dude up there on the screen.”

The Fifty Shades of Grey star was not having it. She declared that Ellen had been invited but said, “You didn’t come.” Though Ellen tried to smooth the situation over, Dakota obviously put her in her place.

DeGeneres was also proud of her friendship with ex-president George W. Bush. The two were seen socializing at a sports game in 2019. Some people disliked seeing Ellen with the former president, famous for his part in initiating an unpopular, two-decade-long war, but Ellen insisted that she was “just being kind.”

One of her former staff even described to BuzzFeed how Ellen’s “be kind to one another” mantra was only meant for the cameras. Another ex-employee stated that Ellen was nicer to animals than to people.

Perry described the “positive vibes” she felt whenever she was on the show. However, she emphasizes that her experience may be different from others. Considering that she tended to favor big names over the “little people”, she might be onto something.

Based on Cher’s reaction—or non-reaction—it is clear that the two are not friends, never mind besties. The reason for their non-relationship is evident once you know the facts, but Ellen still seems oblivious. 

The interview may have seemed like a run-of-the-mill interview. But upon closer inspection, viewers might have noticed that Cher initially gave Ellen one-word answers. It took a couple more questions before Cher volunteered any more information.

Part of her responsibility was to participate in a skit. Being a dutiful soldier, she followed her orders to the letter. She was seen in a pre-recorded segment greeting surprised customers in a hair salon. 

Ellen made the two stylists leave and decided that she and Cher would do the customers’ hair. Cher immediately blurted out, “This is a nightmare.” We wonder if Cher was referring to the customers or to her own feelings.

Cher did her best to keep calm. Ellen later showed the customers pictures of different hairstyles. However, the images were of Cher and her outrageous looks from the previous years. Ellen asked the customers which look they wanted to have.

Despite the trouble Ellen was causing, Cher did her best to participate in the skit. But unfortunately, all she could do was place her hand on her face. She probably regretted saying “Yes” to her appearance on the show. Ellen, however, was having the time of her life.

Fortunately, the battle was brief, and the two celebrities returned to take care of the customers’ hair. Cher, ever the considerate soul, asked Ellen if the show had insurance, in case they accidentally burned or ripped out the customers’ hair. But Ellen didn’t even seem to care at all.

Cher, sensing that Ellen had been left in the cold, offered that she flirted with a woman, asking, “does that count?”. However, Ellen pretended not to have heard. Her flat refusal to answer left Cher’s question hanging in the air.

Cher was right not to trust her. When the singer held the customer’s hair, Ellen sat on a chair and asked Cher to hold the hair because she wanted to take a break. Being a good sport, Cher tried to laugh it off.

But Ellen was not having any of it. She had to crack a joke—they were in a skit, after all. So Ellen gave Cher a fork to comb the customer’s hair with. Cher snapped and exclaimed that she wouldn’t do it. She also called Ellen an “idiot.”

But Ellen countered by pointing a high-powered blow dryer at Cher’s face. Cher retaliated by screaming and spraying water on Ellen. Eventually, the two stopped. Fortunately, the two celebrities were still smiling after their duel.

Ellen delivered the first blow by calling Cher’s work “the worst.” The host added that Cher “went into the right business” because she obviously was not a good hairstylist. Cher clapped back by spritzing Ellen with water while Ellen blow-dried Cher’s face.

Ellen gave in and admitted that Cher did a good job. She eventually sat as Cher’s customer while the singer placed another wig on her. Ellen joked that she had a “tiny head.” Cher asked Ellen, “What goes inside that tiny head?”

However, Cher could not help but give her two cents. She declared Ellen’s rendition of her 1989 hit to be “probably the worst” she’d ever heard.  Ellen didn’t care though as she continued to give “the worst” impression of Cher’s song.

Ellen sang, “If I could reach the stars, I’d give ’em all to you,” but wondered how that is possible because stars would be too hot to touch, so it would be impossible to give them to anyone. Ellen added that the lyrics “don’t really make sense.”

The customer pointed out that she does know Ellen, though not personally. She explained that she knew Ellen from television, much to Ellen’s delight. Ellen rubbed salt on Cher’s wounds by remarking, “They know me better than they know you.”

Cher, in a cold fury, told Ellen, “You’re such a b****.” Ellen laughed off her remark. Upon leaving the hair salon, Ellen claimed that the experience had made them closer, enough to make them “best friends.” Cher countered by saying, “No, we’re not.”

One segment in the show is a game called “5 Second Rule”. Contestants are required to give three answers to a question within the given time frame. Cher and Ellen battled it out. The end result was entertaining.

When it was Cher’s turn, she was asked to name three singers she wanted to have a duet with. After a brief pause, Cher named the three celebrities: Adele, Pink, and anyone except Madonna.

Ellen reminded Cher that she was required to say the names of people she wanted to sing with, not the names of people she did not want to perform with. Cher explained that she took “a little license” with her answer.

When Ellen was asked to name three things that turned her on, Ellen answered, “Music, sweetness, and chocolate.” However, Ellen admitted that she just added chocolate because she couldn’t think of anything else.

Cher responded with “no” but admitted that she only likes it because she does not eat much of it, adding that she loves eating chocolate and cake. Ellen had to once again ask if chocolate put Cher in the mood. Cher emphatically answered, “No.”

Despite continually saying, “No. No,” Cher explained why she refuses to eat chocolate. According to the Pop Goddess, she is working on keeping her body healthy. However, by the end, she admitted that she was lying and that she does, in fact, eat chocolate.

Cher initially struggled to follow her question but once again said, “No.” Ellen insisted that she had already admitted that chocolate turns her on.  Cher had to backtrack, saying that “I didn’t mean it in that way.” This argument continues as Cher is clearly exhausted by the antics.

Cher, seemingly frustrated at Ellen’s insistence, had to pause. Since the singer’s protests were met with mockery, Cher had to step back and compose herself. She looked at Ellen straight in the eye and blurted out, “b****”. Fortunately, the audience, and even Ellen, laughed.

Another YouTube commenter said they were confused at the “passive-aggressive” vibe the celebrities displayed during their game. Some found it weird and uncomfortable to watch. Yet other commenters described their dynamic as “hilarious” and “fun.” 

Ellen has been known to tease her guests, at times, too much. Some of her teasing is intentional and is done in order to provoke an entertaining reaction. Fortunately for Cher, her response was genuine and even endearing. 

One of these stars is singer Gwen Stefani. When she was on The Ellen Show in 2018, she was expecting a light-hearted experience. But Stefani was in tears due to the words Ellen spoke. Fortunately, as she was a celebrity, hers were tears of joy and validation. Ellen without a doubt has two distinct sides to her.