Oh, Ellen

[Trigger warning for rape culture; fat hatred.]

This video is posted on Ellen DeGeneres Show's official video channel: It's a clip from DeGeneres' interview with Mike Tyson earlier this week—and it's really disappointing. Not only is DeGeneres participating in the rehabilitation of the career of a convicted rapist, but she yuks it up with him while engaging in some awesome fat hatred.


[Transcript below.]
At the end of the clip, Tyson says, to laughter and applause, "There's nothing worse than a fat cokehead." Oh, really? I can think of something worse than that.

Asshole.

DeGeneres: …and the fact that you have really transformed yourself, uh, what made you— First of all, you look great—

Tyson: Thank you very much.

DeGeneres: —and what made you do that and how did you do it?

Tyson: Well, um, you see, I had a four-year-old daughter, um, unfortunately, um, had an accident and died, and, um, I don't know, right?—I'm just pretty, um, I'm pretty enraged, just torn apart, and I happened, um, when I went to the hospital, um, when she's on the machine, I went to the hospital, and I'm anticipating, 'cause I'm probably coming down from a hangover, but I'm anticipating to go the hospital and raise hell. But once I got there and I saw the, uh, I saw other people there with either children that had already died or they were dying, and they were handling it with dignity, and I, and I wanted to be, I didn't want to be the psycho parent up there—I wanted to handle it with dignity, as well. And, um, their kids were dying, too, so I didn't have any right to be a psycho up there, and I guess, um, I just had to handle it like everyone else and be humble and be on your knees.

DeGeneres: Mm-hmm. And so, and since then, you have been sober for how long?

Tyson: Two years.

DeGeneres: Two years sober. [audience applauds and cheers] That's right.

Tyson: I'm just—I'm just very fortunate that I had a lotta, um, I had a great support system. You know, I had great mentors, and, um, I'm just very fortunate. I'm no better than anyone else that was successful, and there's probably ODs or just committed suicide, but I'm no different than them. The only difference—I had a good support system.

DeGeneres: Yeah, well that does help, uh, for sure, but, but it has to come from you. You have to want to do it, to stick to it.

Tyson: I wanted, I wanted to change.

DeGeneres: Yeah.

Tyson: I wanted to change, but I couldn't do it without, um, the support.

DeGeneres: And so, and, and, like I am vegan as well; I heard that you're vegan.

Tyson: Two years, yeah.

DeGeneres: Two years vegan. Two years for me vegan.

Tyson: It's an awesome feeling, yeah.

DeGeneres: It's amazing, right?! Look at the difference between— [gestures at monitor behind her] This is before you decided to—

Tyson: Oh, you gotta check this out! [picture of Tyson weighing more comes onscreen; audience laughs] The Michelin Man! Look at the Michelin Man! [I think he actually says "Michigan Man," but clearly means Michelin Man.]

DeGeneres: So this is what you looked like before— [a second image of Tyson weighing more comes up; the audience laughs] Yeah.

Tyson: Oh, no! Not this guy! Ohhhhh.

DeGeneres: Yeah. [before and after images pop up of Tyson weighing more and at his current, lesser weight] And now look at you, because two years— [audience applauds and cheers] That's amazing.

Tyson: Hey, um, listen, right, um, it's just amazing 'cause you never in life, you never, you never, really hear or see [gestures at picture of "before" self]—but that's, um, that's a fat cokehead, right there, you know what I mean? [laughs] You never hear about a fat coke head.

DeGeneres: [smiling] You don't see, you don't see fat cokeheads.

Tyson: No you don't see fat cokeheads! [audience laughs] But as you know, there's nothing worse than a fat cokehead! [delivers this line with a muggy grin, like he's auditioning for "Our Gang"] There's nothing worse!

DeGeneres: I know. Don't tell me! [audience roars] Yeah.

Tyson: Nothing worse!

[DeGeneres laughs and Tyson laughs and claps his hands together; audience laughs.]