By Blaire Sheftel, Staff Writer

Ellen DeGeneres, a nationally revered comedian and talk show host, finishes each episode of her hit program with the words “Be kind,” but does she truly follow that motto when the cameras stop rolling? 

Recently, in a viral Twitter thread, former audience members, staff and guests have revealed that Ellen’s TV personality doesn’t seem to match up with her attitude off-screen.The thread began with Kevin T. Porter, another comedian and talk show host, asking for stories that prove Ellen to be “notoriously one of the meanest people alive.” Racking up about 2,000 replies, Porter’s comment section did not disappoint.

One former DeGeneres fan attached photographic evidence of the host giving away a piece of artwork she had personally created for Ellen. “When I was 15 @TheEllenShow was doing a contest of fans making a bust of her and sending it to her,” Danielle Acevedo wrote beside a picture of herself in the process of painting her DeGeneres sculpture. “Weeks later she used it as a prop in a game and gave it away to a random person with $500 attached to the bottom.” Sure enough, the photos provided depict Ellen giving away the piece of artwork Acevedo worked so hard on to a random audience member. 

Following this tweet, another story from Chris Farah tells how Ellen almost got her fired from her job, simply because her nail polish was chipped. “I worked @RealFoodDaily, served her & Porsha at brunch,” Farah wrote. “She wrote a letter to the owner & complained about my chipped nail polish (not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand). I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morn, almost got me fired.” These are only two stories out of the many examples provided that portray Ellen as cold and cruel rather than the kind and welcoming person she seems to be on screen.

Along with these countless Twitter stories, YouTuber and makeup artist Nikkie de Jager (also known as NikkieTutorials) recently shared the negative aspects of her experience with Ellen. She told a Dutch magazine that when she arrived at the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in LA, she was greeted by an angry, seemingly overworked intern. Jager’s experience before the show consisted of many more examples of Degeneres’ true colors. Jager was not allowed to use the closest bathroom (it was instead reserved for the Jonas Brothers) and was shocked by Ellen’s overall coldness before the cameras were rolling. 

Ellen DeGeneres does not reflect her signature slogan, “Be Kind,” and in reality acts quite the opposite. From giving away a fan’s hard-worked art to complaining about an employee’s chipped nail polish, she can be seen taking advantage of the belief that she is kind and charitable when it is apparent she is nothing of the sort.