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'It was demeaning': Former bodyguard slams Ellen's 'cold' treatment

A former bodyguard of Ellen DeGeneres has claimed the US talk show host treated him and other staff in a ‘demeaning’ and ‘sly’ way.

Ellen has come under fire of late after former guests on her show and staffers lifted the lid on her supposed bad behaviour compared with her open-minded on-screen persona.

Host Ellen DeGeneres speaks onstage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Host Ellen DeGeneres has come under fire for an apparently unpleasant turn at the Oscars in 2014. Photo: Getty Images

Formerly a senior manager with Security Imagery Specialists, bodyguard Tom Majercak was assigned to work with Ellen at the 2014 Oscars where she was host.

He claims that though her wife Portia De Rossi was delightful to work with, Ellen was another story.

He told Fox News that when introduced to him, the host didn’t engage at all beyond a ‘side glance out of her eye’, saying he was shocked to witness her ‘false facade’ drop away.

Host Ellen DeGeneres onstage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014 hands out pizza
The same night she famously handed out pizza, the staffer says she couldn't even give him a nod. Photo: Getty Images

“It was very cold and it was very sly and it was actually kind of demeaning in the way that she treats people other than those who are in her circle,” he said.

"It's bugged me for years," he admitted. "I see this person come across as being very enlightened and positive and awesome and everybody loves her and is in awe and that's really not the case when you meet her in person."

He added Ellen was the only celebrity he has ever worked with who didn’t greet him when introduced.

Former Ellen bodyguard Tom Majercak in Linkedin photo
Tom Majercak says his evening with Ellen showed a different side to the host. Photo: Linkedin

“She's not the person she portrays to be that she's playing off of society,” he said. “That's my opinion.”

It comes after other staffers and guests came out with stories that belied the host’s seemingly progressive, kind and open persona.

Staff reported being left in the dark about their jobs and pay after the Ellen Show set was shut down during the coronavirus pandemic.

The host began shooting from home in a bid she said to keep staff employed but used a third-party crew instead of her usual employees.

YouTube personality Nikki de Jager or Nikkitutorials on Ellen show
YouTube personality Nikki de Jager says Ellen was not hospitable when she visited the show. Photo: Ellentube

Despite initial reports, however, employees did not lose their jobs and were simply given a pay cut until shooting returns to normal.

A guest of the show, Dutch YouTube personality Nikki de Jager, reported a similar dissonant experience with Ellen, after she says the host ignored her off-camera and that she was treated differently to the VIP guests.

“Every guest at Ellen had a private toilet, but I didn't,' she told Dutch TV show earlier this year. “I couldn't even use the closest toilet to me because it was reserved for the Jonas Brothers... They were allowed, I wasn't, I thought.”

Nikki sat down with the host to discuss her sexual identity after being blackmailed online.

Ellen has not responded to the criticism.

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