Actress Anne Heche, who previously dated Ellen DeGeneres in the late-1990s, has claimed that the famed television personality did not want her to “dress sexy.”
In a TikTok video, Heche discussed several of her past outfits at various red carpet events. One particular photo featured Heche and Ellen at the 1998 Golden Globe awards in which Heche wore a navy blue dress and a frumpy duster. Heche apparently hated the outfit and blamed Ellen for having worn it.
“Why do I look like a hippie?” Heche says in the video. “It’s because Ellen didn’t want me to dress sexy.”
Heche rated the dress 0 out of 10. She did not elaborate further on her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres.
Another dress (rainbow-colored) she rated in honor of gay rights.
“What better time to have you go inside out, upside down and backwards for gay rights and human rights,” she said. “I am the flag.”
Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche broke off their relationship in 2000.
“Just 3 1/2 years after Heche announced her love for DeGeneres on Oprah, it all came apart, like so many other show business love affairs,” reported ABC News at the time. “On Saturday came a report in the New York Daily News of their relationship ending, and only hours later, a shaken and incoherent Heche parked her SUV along a central California highway and wandered up to a stranger’s home.”
2020 was a difficult year for Ellen DeGeneres after multiple reports alleged she fostered a toxic work environment. In late July, a BuzzFeed News article claimed that several former employees witnessed head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman sexually propositioning or groping lower-level employees. Kevin Leman denied the accusations outright. A total of 47 former employees also accused executive producer Ed Glavin of fostering a culture of fear and intimidation on a daily basis. Some even said he would use his private shower in his office bathroom with the door wide open.
Another former employee also accused co-executive producer Jonathan Norman of grooming him over a period of time by “taking him to concerts and other work-related perks, and then one night attempted to perform oral sex on him.”
Upon her return from the summer hiatus, Ellen apologized and took “full responsibility” for what allegedly happened.
“As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation. I learned that things happened here that never should have happened,” she began. “I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power and I realized that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
“This is ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’ I am Ellen DeGeneres. My name is there, my name is there, my name is on underwear,” she continued. “We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace, and what we want for the future. We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter.”