Ellen DeGeneres went ‘above and beyond’ for Greyson Chance, sources claim

Former teen pop star claimed DeGeneres ‘controlled’ then ‘abandoned’ him

Ellen DeGeneres went “above and beyond” for Greyson Chance, a source close to the star’s talk show has claimed.

The source’s account comes in response to recent explosive claims made by the 25-year-old former teen pop star, who said DeGeneres “controlled” him and then “completely abandoned” him after she made him a star.

Chance was just 12 years old when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after a video of him singing Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” went viral online in 2010.

Speaking to ET, a source close to the talk show host’s team, said that the “Good as Gold” singer “did not make any complaints” during his time on the show, adding that he “continued to appear on the show to launch his new projects”.

“Ellen and the team went above and beyond and sometimes careers just don’t take off,” they said. “He has taken this time as he is launching an album to go after Ellen with opportunistic claims.”

The Independent has reached out to both DeGeneres’ and Chance’s representatives for comment.

Chance recently released his newest album, Palladium, which comes a year after his last album, Trophies.

On Thursday (22 September), Chance posted a TikTok video saying that he stands by every allegation he made against DeGeneres.

“You know, I’ve been wanting to tell this story now for multiple years and was repeatedly told not to but the truth is, what you saw on TV and what was pitched out to the mainstream just wasn’t what was happening behind the scenes,” he said.

According to Chance’s interview in which he first made the accusations, DeGeneres gave him $10,000 (£9,100) and a new piano and later signed him as the first act on her record label eleveneleven, allegedly telling him: “I’m going to protect you. I’m going to be here for you. We’re going to do this together.”

Chance with fans in 2011 (Getty Images)

Initially, Chance said, DeGeneres was “really invested” in him. But as his schedule got busier, she “became domineering and way too controlling” and began to feel like a “hidden eye” over his career, deciding what he wore and his creative output.

Chance said DeGeneres totally disappeared when his music began to underperform and “completely abandoned him” when his second record flopped in late 2012.

When he was dropped by his label group and management team, he reached out to DeGeneres but allegedly never heard back. Throughout this, he still appeared on Ellen, with his final appearance in 2019 to promote a new song.

“She came out during soundcheck and she looked at me, hugged me. And she said, ‘How have you been?’ And that just killed me inside because I was like, ‘What do you mean how have I f***ing been? Where have you been?’” he recalled of his 2019 visit.

Earlier this year, DeGeneres’ talk show came to an end after 19 seasons and more than 3,000 episodes.

In 2020, the show found itself the subject of an investigation into allegations of workplace sexual misconduct, racism and bullying on set.

DeGeneres said at the time that the allegations were “too orchestrated” and “very misogynistic”.