--- title: Ellen DeGeneres Has No Interest in Interviewing Donald Trump description: In an interview with Matt Lauer, DeGeneres explained her former interaction with the president — and said she doesn't want to interview him. canonical: https://time.com/4768947/ellen-degeneres-on-trump/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-05T16:13:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:52.442Z og:title: Ellen DeGeneres Has No Interest in Interviewing Donald Trump og:description: The comedian and talk show host told Matt Lauer she's OK to skip him as a guest og:url: https://time.com/4768947/ellen-degeneres-on-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ellen DeGeneres Has No Interest in Interviewing Donald Trump twitter:description: The comedian and talk show host told Matt Lauer she's OK to skip him as a guest twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 'He's Against Everything I Stand For.' Ellen DeGeneres Just Made It Clear That Donald Trump Isn't Welcome On Her Show > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: How The Apprentice Shaped Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign [Watch (HLS stream): How The Apprentice Shaped Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nKdWhDbl.m3u8) (1:40)  _Published 2016-06-21. Before he was the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump leveraged his famous name as the host of the NBC reality series The Apprentice._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner May 5, 2017 4:13 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner May 5, 2017 4:13 PM UTC In an unusual flip of the script, _Today Show_ host [Matt Lauer](http://time.com/4621725/matt-lauer-choker-necklace/) got to interview fellow talk show host Ellen DeGeneres during a visit to her set. The conversation quickly turned to the topic of the moment: [the President](http://time.com/4768246/donald-trump-new-york-visit/). And DeGeneres, who’s known hosts anyone from internet-famous kids to all kinds of celebrities, made it clear that she has no interest in speaking with Donald Trump. “What’s your relationship with Donald Trump, do you know him at all? Have you had a chance to interview him?” Lauer asked DeGeneres initially. “I mean, I know him from _Celebrity Apprentice_ because when we first started the show… we filmed something with him. I flew in his helicopter and did a bit with him,” she explained of her brief past connection to the president. “So I knew him then. I have not spoken to him since he he’s run for president or become president.” Lauer then asked if she’d be interested in having him on the show. But after a thoughtful pause, DeGeneres’s answer was an unequivocal negative. “Um, no,” she responded, to applause from the studio audience. “Because I’m not gonna change his mind. He’s against everything I stand for.” DeGeneres, who [received](http://time.com/4580807/president-obama-presidential-medal-of-freedom/) the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama, has been [vocally critical](http://time.com/4654985/ellen-degeneres-immigration-ban/) of Trump. 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