Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscars bodyguard accuses host of being ‘cold, sly and demeaning’

He claimed only approved celebrities were permitted to talk to host at awards after party

A bodyguard who was hired to protect Ellen DeGeneres at the Oscars has criticised the host for being “kind of demeaning”.

Tom Majercak was looking after DeGeneres as well as her mother and wife Portia de Rossi in 2014, the year Ellen was hosting the awards ceremony,

In an interview with Fox News, he claimed that Ellen was the one celebrity he’s worked with “that has never taken the time to say hi to me”, adding: “And I’ve been assigned to quite a few celebrities.”

Majercak said that things started off well thanks to de Rossi, who he described as “very pleasant”. However, things “started going negatively” when de Rossi introduced him to DeGeneres.

“Ellen pretty much just gave me a side glance out of her eye and didn’t even say ‘hello,’ or ‘thank you for protecting my mother, my wife, and me,’” he continued.

“It was very cold and it was very sly and it was actually kind of demeaning in the way that she treats people other than those who are in her circle.”

Majercak also said that celebrities had to be approved to come and talk to DeGeneres at her table during a high-profile after party.

He said that he came forward with his story after people claiming to be Ellen’s ex-employees shared some startling experiences they’re said to have had with the presenter on social media.

One story claimed that DeGeneres would send her staff at The Ellen DeGeneres Show home if they had failed to chew gum before speaking to her.

Many people have come forward with alleged stories about ‘mean’ behaviour from TV host (Getty Images for GLAAD)

Another added: “A new staff member was told ‘every day she picks someone different to really hate. It’s not your fault, just suck it up for the day and she’ll be mean to someone else the next day.’ They didn’t believe it but it ended up being entirely true.”

“It’s bugged me for years,” Majercak said. “I see this person come across as being very enlightened and positive and awesome and everybody loves her and is in awe, and that’s really not the case when you meet her in person.”

A representative for DeGeneres has been contacted for comment.