Greyson Chance has not realized he will not give any more second chances to Ellen DeGeneres.
In 2010, when the singer was in sixth grade, he went viral over a video of his middle school performance of “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga on YouTube. He instantly became an online sensation.
The footage was immediately caught on by DeGeneres, who asked him to appear on her daytime talk show, linked him to industry execs, and struck a contract for him in her record label, all in less than a year.
However, in an interview with Rolling Stone issued on Thursday, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter revealed that the magnificence and glory of superstardom suddenly disappeared when DeGeneres took hold of his career.
“My whole week, my whole month, my whole year could change [with] one text message from her,” he said. “That was horrible.”
Following his entering DeGeneres’ label, Chance claimed that she started to become “domineering and way too controlling,” making decisions for him with anything, like his stage outfits.
“She would come in and look at a rack, yell at stylists, berate people in front of me and say, ‘This is what you’re wearing on the show,” he told the outlet. “She was just degrading to people.”
Furthermore, Chance shared to Rolling Stone that DeGeneres “completely abandoned” him and ceased to take his calls following the flop of his 2012 EP. That same year, he was dropped by his label and team.
Although he later released his own music independently and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show several times until 2019, Chance stated that his encounters with the host became a little less friendly.
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Chance Gave No Chance No More
Recalling his last appearance on the show, Chance referred to the studio as a “place of active trauma” and criticized DeGeneres for talking about his sexuality during their interview.
“[When I came out,] I hadn’t spoken to her in years… That’s so messed up that you’re now showing the world as if we’re so tight. We’re so good,” Chance stated. “And behind the scenes, you are this insanely manipulative person.”
Chance’s claims about DeGeneres directly contradict her previously clean public image and “Be kind” motto. But the singer is not the only person to slam her closed-door behavior.
In 2020, former and current Ellen workers rebuked the show for promoting a “toxic work environment” with racism, intimidation, and fear. As a result, an internal probe occurred, three execs exited the show, and DeGeneres issued apologies to her staff many times.
And in May 2021, DeGeneres revealed that her show would come to an end following its 19th season. The last episode was released in May of this year.
Chance told Rolling Stone that Ellen showrunners urged him to go back to the show one last time on the final season. However, he rejected the offer.
“How in the world am I supposed to sit down and say I’m so thankful and let her take that moment?” he asked.
Chance further said, “I couldn’t do that. So, I turned down a national-TV gig on the eve of an album release, which is probably not a smart thing to do, but I had to do it for my integrity.”
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Photo: Hype
