It's not every day fans see Ellen DeGeneres get upset with someone, but one woman in particular has rubbed her the wrong way after visiting her show. The comedian and actress debuted the first episode of her new season on Tuesday, Sept. 8, guest starring none other than Caitlyn Jenner. Discussing life as a new woman, the two touched on transgender issues, gay marriage and more. On that same day, DeGeneres sat down with Howard Stern and revealed how she really felt about Jenner's thoughts on gay marriage and explained why she hated being on American Idol.
The 57-year-old comedian sat down with the controversial radio host and his long-time co-host, Robin Quivers, for his SiriusXM show to discuss an array of topics and also to celebrate DeGeneres' 13 season accomplishment for her popular talk show, Ellen. They quickly got down to the nitty gritty of her likes and dislikes, and the comedian wasn't afraid to speak her mind.
After her interview with the Olympic gold medalist Jenner, DeGeneres was a little confused and taken aback by her sentiments on gay marriage, especially because Jenner, who recently came out as a male-to-female transgender, is now a part of the LGBTQ community.
"I said, 'You're wanting people to understand and accept you - this is like, really confusing to people. And you still have a judgement about gay people and marriage,'" said DeGeneres. "She goes, 'Well if the word marriage is that important.' It is. That's the word. We want the same thing."
When Jenner was initially asked how she felt about gay marriage, she said her traditionalist mindset wouldn't allow her to really understand or accept members of the same sex getting married. She's used to seeing men and women share that sacred bond. Jenner then went on to follow up that statement by saying she's changed her way of thinking on the issue and would never want to stand in the way of anyone's happiness.
DeGeneres, who is proudly married to fellow actress Portia De Rossi, felt Jenner would have a little bit more passion towards the fight for equal rights. Although gay marriage was made legal in all 50 states, words like civil union and common law marriage are still being thrown around as a label for their nuptials.
The drama didn't stop there. DeGeneres also went on to discuss her short stint on American Idol as a judge. She joined the popular talent show in its ninth season in 2010 and was accompanied by veteran judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson as well as Kara DioGuardi.
DeGeneres and Stern, who currently acts as a judge on America's Got Talent, voiced similar opinions about having to deliver cruel comments to people who are just trying to explore their dreams.
"As a fan of the shows, it doesn't matter that I sing or that I know anything about pitch or anything. I'm like everybody else at home. It's American Idol. And you're watching and you're a fan. So I thought, I'm gonna represent those people at home that have opinions. But then I just thought, like Howard says, I can't break this person's heart. I mean, let somebody else do that," DeGeneres said. "That was the worst experience of my life. I'm not going to get into what it was, but let's just say I don't think they had any intentions for us to have a good experience doing that show."
