Ellen DeGeneres has baffled netizens once again—this time by dredging up a “cringe-worthy” clip from 2007 featuring Friends star Courteney Cox.
The video, reposted yesterday (April 17) on Ellen’s official Instagram page, features a segment from her show titled What’s My Next Line?, in which Cox is asked to recall her lines from classic Friends episodes.
Highlights
- Ellen DeGeneres reposted 'awkward' 2007 clip with Courteney Cox.
- Fans call the segment 'cringe-worthy' and 'uncomfortable.'
- Fans believe Ellen's game set Cox up for failure.
- Video comes days after comedian John Mulaney compared Ellen's workplace to parenting a toddler.
Cox fails to remember a single line, which prompts DeGeneres to tell her to remember “how bad she was,” and that proof of it will be recorded for everyone to see.
While some fans brushed the segment off as simple daytime TV banter, to others, it served as a clear example of the host setting up a guest for failure in order to mock them, creating an awkward situation on purpose.
Netizens slam Ellen DeGeneres for reposting a “cringe-worthy” 2007 interview with Courteney Cox
Image credits: Casey Durkin/Getty Images
“Cringe,” “uncomfortable,” “terrible,” were just some of the words netizens used to describe the clip, which begins innocently enough, with Ellen explaining the game to the actress.
“We’re going to play a clip of the show, and we’re going to stop it, and we’re going to see if you can remember what the next line is,” she says.
Courteney, smiling politely, agrees. But it quickly becomes clear that she doesn’t remember any of the lines.
Image credits: Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
After one failed guess, Ellen jabs, “You are going to lose.” Courteney, who, according to viewers, was starting to look mildly annoyed, replies, “No!” but the segment snowballs into a series of blank stares, offbeat exchanges, and strained laughter.
Image credits: ellendegeneres
“You lose completely,” Ellen concludes after her guest fails to remember a single line, and proceeds to label her as “the worst friend.”
“Not the worst friend,” Courteney protests. “I should get some sort of award for that.”
The segment ends with the host sarcastically telling her that she at least has “pretty hair, and that’s all that matters.”
Viewers theorized the host chose obscure clips from Friends on purpose in order to make the actress look bad
Image credits: ellendegeneres
Soon after the video was posted, comments started pouring in, and while positive comments were present—mostly centered on Cox’s physical appearance—those that got the most likes were those explicitly criticizing the segment.
“She looked so uncomfortable here,” one user wrote. “She looked beautiful but was clearly not loving the experience.”
“Right? Her body language speaks volumes,” another replied. “She seems really annoyed.”
Image credits: ellendegeneres
Others argued that the segment was further proof of DeGeneres purposely setting up situations in which her guests end up looking bad, allowing her to look better in contrast.
“She set Courteney up for failure,” one user explained. “In my opinion, they didn’t choose the right clips. There are so many memorable scenes from Monica.”
The timing of the repost didn’t help, as it came a couple of days after comedian John Mulaney compared parenting a toddler to working on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The clip comes a few days after comedian John Mulaney compared working on DeGeneres’ show to parenting a toddler
Image credits: Netflix
Mulaney took a jab at Ellen’s “toxic workplace” allegations on an episode of his Netflix show Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney last Wednesday (April 16).
“You know what having a 3-year-old is like?” Mulaney, who shares two children with actress Olivia Munn, asked his audience.
Image credits: Netflix
“It’s what I imagine working on Ellen’s show was like,” he said, describing an atmosphere of forced positivity. “Because people come over and they’re like, ‘How is it?’ And you’re, like, ‘Oh, it’s fine. You know, we have fun. There’s games.’”
“We have dancing, you know. So if he starts dancing, you dance,” he continued, alluding to Ellen’s alleged behavior. “But if he stops dancing, you f***ing stop dancing right away.”
Image credits: ellendegeneres
Both Mulaney’s jab and netizens’ reactions to Courteney Cox’s clip serve as a reminder of Ellen DeGeneres' “fall from grace.”
Once a beloved TV figure, allegations of the host maintaining a toxic work culture—including racism, intimidation, and even sexual misconduct—followed, with a devastating 2020 Variety exposé giving credence to the claims.
The backlash led to the show’s cancellation in 2022, and a reexamination of DeGeneres' character by her former fans, including revisiting old interviews for signs of her alleged misdemeanor—such as the one she reposted with Courteney Cox.
"That didn't go so well." Netizens filled DeGeneres' comment section with critical comments
