Charlie Puth and Ellen DeGeneres MediaPunch/Shutterstock; John Locher/AP/Shutterstock
There is no more beautiful music. Charlie PuthHe claimed he had been abandoned by Ellen DeGeneres‘ short-lived record label shortly after Greyson ChanceHe shared similar allegations about his work with the talk show host.
“We both have different experiences, me versus Greyson. But I agree with him that none of them were present [at the label], certainly, after the creation of my first demo EP,” the “Attention” singer, 30, said during an appearance on the Saturday, October 8, episode of the “Rolling Stone Music Now” podcast. “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.”
DeGeneres (now 64) announced that she had signed Puth in October 2011. Emily Luther to ElevenEleven Records after seeing the pair perform a cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You” online. However, he left ElevenEleven Records in 2012 before signing with Atlantic Records early 2015.
Despite being “ghosted” by the comedian’s record label, Puth emphasized that he doesn’t hold any grudges — and he never felt like he was on the receiving end of her allegedly hostile behavior. “People describe Ellen as rude. I’ve never experienced that,” the “See You Again” crooner explained. “Maybe she likes me.”
Chance, 25, recently made headlines when he opened up about his experience being signed to DeGeneres’ label for the “first” and “last” time. “I’ve never met someone more manipulative, more self-centered, and more blatantly opportunistic than her,” he told Rolling Stone last month. The “My Dying Spirit” musician — who was signed to ElevenEleven after a video of the then-12-year-old singing Lady Gaga‘s “Paparazzi” went viral — claimed that the Finding Nemo star “became domineering and way too controlling” over his career.
“My whole week, my whole month, my whole year could change [with] one text message from her,” Chance told the outlet. “That was horrible. … If she had an opinion of any sort, the whole thing changed.”
The “Shut Up” songwriter also alleged that once his record sales began slipping, DeGeneres gave him the cold shoulder. “I couldn’t get ahold of her. Couldn’t talk to her,” he recalled to Rolling Stone, adding that he felt “completely abandoned” by the EllenThe alum was there when his second album went sour. “Whenever I would come on the show, it was such a fake smile. 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.’”
After Chance’s claims raised eyebrows, an insider told Us WeeklyDeGeneres’ professional history was a completely different story. “Ellen and the team went above and beyond and sometimes careers just don’t take off,” the source told Use shortly after the Kansas native’s interview was published. The insider added that Chance “did not make any complaints” during his tenure with ElevenEleven and continued to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show until 2019 to “to launch his new projects.”
“He has taken this time, as he is launching a [new] album, to go after Ellen with opportunistic claims,” the insider claimed.
Chance wasn’t the only one to accuse Emmy winner Chance of intimidating or hostile behavior. In June 2020, several employees were accused of intimidating or hostile behavior by Chance. The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe TV personality allegedly created a hostile working environment, and the employees were subjected to intimidation, fear, racism and fear while they worked on the show. DeGeneres emailed her staff to apologize and address the rumors that she created a hostile environment for employees during the season 18 premiere later in the year.
“I learned that things happened that never should have happened. I take that very seriously,” the former American IdolJudge said it on-air. “I want to say I am so sorry to the people who are affected. I am aware that I have privilege and power. I also recognize that responsibility comes with it. I am responsible for what happens at my show. This is The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
