Angela Mollard: My extraordinary phone call from Ellen this week
When Sunday Mail columnist Angela Mollard wrote a column defending US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, she didn’t expect a call from the superstar herself.
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The Sunday Mail columnist Angela Mollard has revealed that embattled US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres personally phoned to thank her for a column defending her reputation.
DeGeneres - who is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi - is under siege for alleged ‘mean behaviour’, with a string of people on social media giving behind-the-scenes examples.
Mollard, in a recent column (below), wrote that the attack on DeGeneres was a “monumental pile on’’ and said the comedian was a person who had “bad days” like anyone else.
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Shortly after her column was published, Mollard said she received a message from DeGeneres’ publicist Eddy saying the comedian wanted to make contact.
On Sunday morning (May 24), while on Weekend Sunrise, she received a call from the comedian herself thanking her for sticking up for her.
“I came off air and saw immediately I had a missed call from the US,’’ Mollard said.
“Playing back the voicemail, I was stunned that Ellen had actually called, as her agent had said she would.”
The voicemail said: “Hi Angela, this is Ellen DeGeneres. Just calling to say thank you so much for the article. It’s nice when someone sticks up for you and I appreciate it. Bye.”
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“It was a lovely message and reinforced the point I’d made in my original article: that celebrities are no more immune from hurt and criticism than the rest of us,’’ Mollard said.
“I wondered how vulnerable Ellen must be to reach out to a commentator who had simply taken the opposing view and backed her.
“Certainly while researching the piece I’d found little evidence of anyone standing up for her, which seems odd considering that the criticism she’s endured is tantamount to bullying.”
“If I had actually spoken to Ellen I would have simply asked if she was OK.’’
READ THE FULL COLUMN IN U ON SUNDAY TODAY
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