Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Patrick Warburton says ‘spurned’ Ellen DeGeneres confronted him for not appearing on her sitcom
By Eric Todisco,
7 hours ago
Ellen DeGeneres isn’t always in the laughing mood.
Patrick Warburton said that the comedian and former talk show host, 66, once confronted him in public after he turned down a guest role on her 1990s sitcom.
Patrick Warburton at “The Duel” premiere in Los Angeles on July 25, 2024. Getty Images for Film Independent
“They asked me to come back and do another one and I was just kind of done doing guest spots at that time, and it was sort of time to move on, and I just, you know, I said I had a conflict, all right?” he explained. “So, that was it.”
The “Seinfeld” actor continued: “Two weeks later I’m having lunch at a restaurant called Orso in Beverly Hills with a buddy of mine and Ellen walks up to the table and she goes, ‘Too big to do my show now, huh?'”
Ellen DeGeneres on June 5, 2024. Wil Roberts / SplashNews.com
“And I go, ‘No, Ellen.’ I go, ‘I just had a conflict,’ which she probably sensed was just bulls – – t and she walked away,” he added.
Warburton said that after DeGeneres confronted him, he knew he was “never, ever” going to be invited onto her talk show , which aired from 2003 to 2022.
“She was spurned,” he said.
Patrick Warburton in “The Duel.” Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
“It was just weird because, you know, when you say you have a conflict and you don’t do something, you seem like you’re gonna be fine with that,” Warburton went on. “You don’t expect the star of the show to walk up to you and call you out on your s – – t and that’s all it was.
“And then I always knew, it was like, ‘Oh, Ellen’s got a great show. It’s a lot of fun. I’ll never be on it.'”
However, Warburton made it clear that he’s “a huge Ellen fan.”
“What I recall working on that show was that, as far as crowd work and talking, she was just this remarkable comedian, you know, at the very, very top of the game,” he said. “She was as good as anybody.”
Ellen DeGeneres, Patrick Warburton on “Ellen” in 1995 Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
The Post has reached out to DeGeneres’ rep for comment.
Warburton appeared on three episodes of “Ellen” in 1995.
The ABC sitcom infamously featured an episode where DeGeneres’ character came out as a lesbian, which sparked a major backlash from advertisers and religious groups. DeGeneres herself revealed her sexuality on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
“When I came out, people warned me that it was going to ruin my career, and they were right for a while,” DeGeneres said on her talk show in April 2022 on the 25th anniversary of “The Puppy Episode.”
“As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t,” she wrote at the time in a memo, per the Hollywood Reporter. “That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0