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Home / Entertainment

Ellen DeGeneres victim of cruel Twitter death hoax

By Bronte Coy
news.com.au·
7 Jul, 2020 11:28 PM3 mins to read

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Ellen DeGeneres has been the target of a cruel death hoax on Twitter. Photo / Getty Images

Ellen DeGeneres has been the target of a cruel death hoax on Twitter. Photo / Getty Images

Millions of Ellen DeGeneres fans have been alarmed after spotting a grim #RIPEllen hashtag on social media, sparking fears the veteran TV host had mysteriously died.

But never fear, DeGeneres may have weathered a few storms lately, but her death is not one of them. The tweets are reportedly in reference to last week's rumours that her longtime show is being axed, which spawned a viral death hoax.

Ellen DeGeneres has been the target of a cruel death hoax on Twitter. Photo / Getty Images
Ellen DeGeneres has been the target of a cruel death hoax on Twitter. Photo / Getty Images

The rumours about The Ellen DeGeneres Show surfaced amid declining ratings and the storm of negative press that has haunted the host for the past few months. But according to producers, the programme isn't going anywhere. A rep for Ellen's production company commented on the rumours to the New York Post and said: "Telepictures can confirm it's untrue."

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guys it’s true 😪😪 #RipEllen pic.twitter.com/yg90ni5VmR

— k²⁸ Aloah + Jexi Shipper luvs ana,shilah+georgia📌 (@oopshistyles) July 7, 2020

rest in peace ellen ❤️🙏🏻#ripellen https://t.co/qgHdyythBH

— kris (@krisgws) July 7, 2020

While her show may be safe from the chopping block, DeGeneres' reputation has certainly taken a battering in recent times.

After being called out by actress Dakota Johnson in an incredibly uncomfortable interview last November, the once-beloved comedian came under fire in April after making a "distasteful" quarantine joke while hosting her talk show from the comfort of her living room.

DeGeneres, who has a net worth of US$490 million (A$708 million), made a joke in her opening monologue saying quarantining with her wife Portia de Rossi was similar to incarceration, which upset many of her viewers.

"This is like being in jail is what it is," DeGeneres joked. "Mostly because I've been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay!"

Several fans took to Twitter to lambaste the comedian for her privilege, calling her out for likening the conditions of isolation in her mansion to those of prisoners, even in joking.

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In March, DeGeneres was the subject of a viral Twitter thread that centred on the topic that she was the "meanest person alive".

The thread encouraged people to share any personal stories they had to validate the theory.

Comedian Kevin T. Porter tweeted: "Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen DeGeneres always talks about!

"She's also notoriously one of the meanest people alive. Respond to this with the most insane stories you've heard about Ellen being mean & I'll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank."

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Entertainment

Why Ellen's brand is 'bleeding out in gushes'

19 Jul 10:04 PM

There were more than 1000 replies to Porter's tweet, with people detailing their not-so-nice experiences with the comedian.

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