Charlie Puth is the latest singer to discuss the dodgy practices of Ellen DeGeneres, or rather her short-lived record label.
Prompted by fellow singer/songwriter Greyson Chance‘s recent claims that the “opportunistic” talkshow host “completely abandoned” him, Puth discussed his experience of working with DeGeneres’ label.
“We both have different experiences, me versus Greyson,” he said on the latest episode of Rolling Stone Music Now.
“But I do agree with him that no one was present, certainly, after the creation of my first demo EP.
“Not putting any blame on one person, but from a collective, all the people that were in that room, they just disappeared. I didn’t hear from anybody.”
He clarified that he never personally voiced his issues with DeGeneres and never witnessed poor behaviour from her specifically.
“People describe Ellen as rude. I’ve never experienced that,” he said.
“Maybe she likes me!”
Sources close to DeGeneres told Rolling Stone that they “don’t recall” any of this happening with Puth.
It comes just weeks after Greyson Chance claimed to Rolling Stone that he’s “never met someone more manipulative, more self-centered and more blatantly opportunistic” than Ellen DeGeneres.
The comedian signed a then 12-year-old Chance as her record label’s first act in 2010.
He claimed she told him at the time: “I’m going to protect you. I’m going to be here for you. We’re going to do this together.”
She then gifted him AUD$636, a new piano and set him up with high-profile managers, agents, a publicist and more.
Before long, Chance said DeGeneres became “domineering” and “too controlling” with every aspect of his career.
“My whole week, my whole month, my whole year could change [with] one text message from her. That was horrible,” he claimed.
“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.’ She was just degrading to people.”
He continued, “If she had an opinion of any sort, the whole thing changed.”
By 2012, his music had bombed and he was failing to sell tickets to shows, at which point he claims DeGeneres completely ghosted him.
“I couldn’t get ahold of her. Couldn’t talk to her,” Chance alleged.
“Whenever I would come on the show, it was such a fake smile.”
He added, “She wouldn’t even ask, ‘How are you doing? How are you holding up?’ It was just like, ‘Here’s what we’re going to talk about. We’ll see you on there.’”
Ellen DeGeneres being manipulative and nasty? Colour me shocked!
