Ellen Degeneres Dances the
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Ellen DeGeneres looks sporty in all white in Hollywood
In the interview, which aired on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Sept. 8, Caitlyn—a longtime political conservative—admitted she's been conflicted about supporting same-sex marriage.
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Caitlyn Jenner arrives at the Nice Guy Club for Daughter Kylie's 18th Birthday Party
While the transgender activist did clarify that "I don't ever want to stand in front of anyone's happiness," her refusal to take a firm stance in favor of marriage equality clearly riled the talk show host, who wed actress Portia de Rossi seven years ago.
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EXCLUSIVE: Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi out and about wearing matching tartan shirts
While Ellen, 57, maintained her composure for the remainder of the interview, on-set insiders say she blew up afterward—and now the Hollywood heavyweight is vowing to expose Caitlyn as a fraud and derail her TV career.
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Caitlyn Jenner and Candis Cayne Have a Date Night at Fig and Olive
In the interview, gay-rights pioneer Ellen confronted Caitlyn, 65, about her political beliefs, saying that conservative rhetoric often undermines the gay and transgender community's fight for equal rights—a large component of which is marriage equality.
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Dinner and Show - 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards
In her measured response, Caitlyn tried to explain her thought process. "I have to admit, I remember 15 years ago, whatever it was, this whole gay marriage issue came up. At first, I was not for it," she said. "I thought 'I'm a traditionalist.' I'm older than most people in the audience, you know? I kind of like tradition, and it's always been a man and a woman. I'm thinking, 'I don't quite get it.'"
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EXCLUSIVE: INF - Caitlyn Jenner Goes Casual in Cape Blouse & Jeans As She Makes a Coffee Run
Ellen bristled as Caitlyn continued. "I have really changed my thinking here," the reality star said. "If that word, 'marriage,' is really, really that important to you, I can go with it."
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Caitlyn Jenner Attends Culture Club Performance At The Greek Theatre
But by the end of their chat, the tension on Ellen's face was obvious, though she managed to hold her emotions in check. Backstage, though, she unleashed her anger. "Ellen's blood was boiling, and they exchanged insults," reveals an on-set source.
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Dinner and Show - 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards
"Ellen accused Caitlyn of being homophobic, and Caitlyn said some nasty things back. She was behaving like an entitled diva, and eventually Ellen had security escort her out," the tipster added. The very same day the episode aired, Ellen appeared on The Howard Stern Show, where she expressed her disappointment with the transgender activist.
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26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards - Arrivals
"I said, 'You're wanting people to understand and accept you—this is, like, really confusing to people. And you still have a judgment about gay people and marriage," Ellen recalled to Howard. "She goes, 'Well, if the word marriage is that important...' It is. That's the word. We want the same thing."
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The 2015 ESPYS - Show
While Ellen went on to insist she wanted Caitlyn to be happy, sources say that her bitterness toward the former Olympian has only grown since their showdown. "She was so excited to have Caitlyn on her show, but she's not the woman Ellen was hoping to interview; she's a total fraud," the insider says.
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Caitlyn Jenner Attends Culture Club Performance At The Greek Theatre
"Ellen has been telling people that she thinks Caitlyn is superficial and clueless—and she's not going to let this go. Ellen is incredibly powerful in Hollywood, and she could damage Caitlyn and her career if she set her mind to it."
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Teen Choice Awards 2015 - Arrivals
Part of the reason Ellen was so upset by Caitlyn's lack of support for their shared community's legal right to marry is because the comedian paved the way for LGBT people, like Caitlyn, to be accepted publicly. In 1997, Ellen made the life-altering decision to come out as a lesbian, both in real life and on her TV sitcom, Ellen, making her the first gay leading character on TV.
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That historic choice—and controversy that surrounded it—led to the cancellation of her TV series and thwarted her professional career for three years. The funnywoman was left angry and depressed. Still, Ellen fought hard to reclaim her status in the entertainment industry, eventually achieving widespread success as the host of her own wildly popular daytime show, on which she regularly repeats her fairness mantra, "Be kind to one another."
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2015 Winter TCA Tour - Day 10
In fact, many have argued that the wellspring of support for LGBT rights and marriage equality—and even for Caitlyn herself, when she came out as a transgender earlier this year—would not have been possible, had it not been for Ellen's early struggles and dedication to becoming a positive role model for the LGBT community.
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Her success, though, has transcended her social activism. This year Forbes named Ellen the 50th most powerful woman in the world. And with her whopping $75 million fortune and legions of superfans, she's a force to be reckoned with. "Ellen is adored worldwide," the source explains.
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Caitlyn Jenner Attends Culture Club Performance At The Greek Theatre
"If she decided to declare war on Caitlyn—and no one would be surprised if she did; Ellen is not as nice as she seems—it would be no contest. Caitlyn wouldn't stand a chance," adds the insider.
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Caitlyn Jenner leaving The Churchill pub after filming a date scene with Kandis Kane
Caitlyn too has been a beloved public figure for years, dating back to her triump at the 1976 Olympic Games, when she was known as Bruce. More recently, she won hearts for being the voice of reason in the crazy Kardashian household, where the former Olympian was often described as the "henpecked, humiliated husband of Kris Jenner" or simply, "poor Bruce."
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Caitlyn Jenner shows off her own unique style after visiting Patricia Field's boutique store in New York City ***NO DAILY MAIL SALES***
Since becoming a woman, though, Caitlyn has been accused of becoming a "fame whore." Sources say she's obsessed with her reality show, I Am Cait, and puts herself and her career ahead of everything else—including her kids. "The Kardashian girls, especially Khloe and Kim, can't stand the person she's turned into," says a family insider.
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Caitlyn Jenner formerly known as Bruce Jenner leaves Tutto Il Giorno looking fabulous in a black dress after having dinner with Diane Sawyer in NYC.
"They hate the way she treats people she used to be close to—especially their mom, Kris. They fight with her all the time about it," says the source. Her youngest daughter, Kylie, especially needs Caitlyn's guidance these days. The 18-year-old seems to have gone off the rails, regularly posting overtly sexy selfies and boasting about her plastic surgery; but sources say Caitlyn is too wrapped up in herself to notice.
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Caitlyn Jenner and Candis Cayne Have a Date Night at Fig and Olive
Not only that, but Caitlyn's comments regarding same-sex marriage have lost her fans too, and she's since been branded a "narcissist," a "hypocrite" and a "hoax."
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Caitlyn Jenner Attends Culture Club Performance At The Greek Theatre
"She's strictly in this for herself," one online commenter wrote after watching the interview with Ellen. "Way to orchestrate your own downfall," another added. "Caitlyn's alienating herself from everyone who is important to her, from her family to her fans to her supporters in Hollywood," says the insider.
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"She's living in a bubble thats going to burst very soon," dishes the tipster. "She needs to do serious damage control before it's too late. Because if Ellen makes it her mission to bring Caitlyn down, she will."