Confessions of a Comedian on the Ellen Show
A comedian who previously worked on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” shared some insights regarding the show’s environment and DeGeneres herself, noting that their success sometimes led to confusion among the team.
Greg Fitzsimmons, who served as a writer on the show during its first two years, from 2003 to 2022, recounted his experience. He mentioned that he and his colleagues spent about a month preparing without DeGeneres’s presence before the show officially launched. Initially, he described his vibe with her as having “good energy,” but that shifted once she became involved.
“She’s a control freak.”
On a podcast, Fitzsimmons referred to DeGeneres as “rough” and even used a less polite term to describe her demeanor without holding back. “She was really intense. It was something,” he said during the conversation.
The Role of ‘Warm-Up Guy’
Fitzsimmons also mentioned that he became the audience’s “warm-up guy” by DeGeneres’s choice. He was comfortable with the role since it provided extra income on top of his writing salary. Still, he felt it might come off as somewhat disingenuous, especially when entertaining what he called “closeted Midwest housewives.” To kick off his first day, he attempted to engage the crowd with a wave exercise, using the word “banana” as a cue.
“I told the audience, ‘When I say bananas, do the waves!’” he recalled. However, it was a blunder waiting to happen when he later forgot that “banana” was also part of DeGeneres’s monologue, leading to a hiccup during the performance.
“So there I am, thinking it would be light-hearted, but it ended up being a bit awkward,” he added. The show’s hosts responded with laughter, noting the irony of the situation.
A Shift in Dynamics
After the show began, Fitzsimmons recounted that attending to DeGeneres’s many monologues taught him much about her style. If the audience responded positively, it only highlighted the sometimes tense dynamic between him and DeGeneres, which he candidly shared.
“This is like the worst thing she could have faced,” he said regarding DeGeneres’s possible reaction to crowd interaction. When he explained why the audience was laughing and engaging so readily, her response was harsh, leading him to think he might be fired.
Despite his initial apprehension, Fitzsimmons found himself still employed, but he noted a gradual increase in strangeness in the show’s atmosphere in later years. He even remarked on how their Emmy wins created rising stakes, which in turn intensified her demeanor.
Frustrations Behind the Scenes
When pressed further about DeGeneres’s interactions in the workspace, Fitzsimmons candidly replied that if a joke didn’t align with her vision, she’d react dramatically, as if one had “stabbed her puppy.”
Though he was asked whether he feared speaking out about DeGeneres, Fitzsimmons appeared unfazed. He commented on the ongoing scrutiny regarding her treatment of staff and did not shy away from candidly addressing his own experiences.
While DeGeneres has kept low-key following the show’s conclusion, it seems clear that the memories of his time there remain quite vivid for Fitzsimmons, altogether highlighting both the chaos and the charm of working in that high-pressure environment.
