A former bodyguard for Ellen DeGeneres spoke out on Friday about his experience with the host.

• A former bodyguard for Ellen DeGeneres said in an interview on Friday that he had a "kind of demeaning" experience with the host.

• Tom Majercak told Fox News that he was hired to protect DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, and DeGeneres' mother for the night of the 2014 Oscars but that DeGeneres was far from friendly.

• "I'm holding their hands and walking them through individuals and large groups of people," Majercak told the outlet. "Ellen is the one person that I've been assigned to — and I've been assigned to quite a few celebrities — that has never taken the time to say hi to me."

• Majercak said that de Rossi was "very pleasant and carried on a conversation" but described his experience with DeGeneres as "kind of demeaning."

• "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,'" Majercak said.

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Ellen DeGeneres' bodyguard at the 2014 Oscars said in a Fox News interview on Friday that he had a "kind of demeaning" experience with the host.

Tom Majercak said he was hired to protect DeGeneres, her mother, and her wife, Portia de Rossi, for the evening of the 86th Academy Awards, as they attended the ceremony (which DeGeneres hosted) and various events before and after.

Majercak was the senior manager of operations for Security Industry Specialists, which has provided security for the Oscars as well as for high-profile companies including Apple, Twitter, and Google.

But Majercak said his experience with DeGeneres was far from ideal.

"I'm holding their hands and walking them through individuals and large groups of people," he told Fox News. "Ellen is the one person that I've been assigned to — and I've been assigned to quite a few celebrities — that has never taken the time to say hi to me."
 

The bodyguard said that de Rossi was "very pleasant and carried on a conversation" but that things "started going negatively" when she introduced him to the talk-show host.

"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,'" Majercak told Fox News, adding, "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 told Fox News that during the Governors Ball, a high-profile Oscars after-party, only celebrities who had been preapproved by DeGeneres came to talk with her at her table.

The bodyguard said he was inspired to say something after other stories about DeGeneres acting rude circulated online in recent months.

"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."
 

Majercak isn't the only person who's criticized DeGeneres recently.

The Dutch beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager, also known as NikkieTutorials, was one of the first people to call out DeGeneres, suggesting on a talk show in February that DeGeneres was "cold and distant" during her appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

In April, a Twitter thread asking for stories about DeGeneres being "one of the meanest people alive" garnered more than 2,000 replies, including from people describing uncomfortable or off-putting experiences with the host.

And crew members for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" recently said they hadn't received communication from DeGeneres or show executives about their pay or work hours during the coronavirus pandemic, Variety reported in mid-April.

Representatives for DeGeneres didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read more:

• Why 2020 has been the year of backlash against Ellen DeGeneres

• A comedian offered donations in exchange for stories about Ellen DeGeneres being 'one of the meanest people alive.' He got 2,000 replies.

• Ellen DeGeneres is facing backlash after comparing self-isolating in her mansion to being in prison

• Crew members on 'The Ellen Show' are reportedly furious at the lack of communication over pay during the coronavirus shutdown

Read the original article on Insider