The Ellen DeGeneres Show, by all accounts, was one of the most successful daytime talk shows of its time, with the eponymous comedian dancing her way through 19 seasons of laughs, giveaways and pranking celebrities. But despite A-listers like Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian and Chris Pratt honoring Ellen DeGeneres in her final episode two years ago, it was a bittersweet time, as it ended amidst allegations of a toxic work environment from former employees. The comedian is still hurt by how things went down, and she spoke candidly about it as she returned to the stand-up stage.
Ellen DeGeneres has mostly been laying low since May of 2022, when the final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show aired. In a move that likely pleased her wife Portia de Rossi, the former sitcom star returned to the stage, kicking off the Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour. It was obvious that she’s still hurting over the way her talk show ended, as she told the crowd (per Rolling Stone) that she’d been kicked out of show business. DeGeneres referenced how she used to end her show by telling people to “be kind,” saying:
The hate went on for a long time and I would try to avoid looking at the news. The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind. That was the headline. I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps. Do you know how hard it is to dance up steps? Would a mean person dance up steps? Had I ended my show by saying, ‘Go fuck yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised.
In addition to the “Mean Ellen” accusations (that were corroborated at the time by several celebrities), Ellen DeGeneres also made reference to the controversy that surrounded her sitcom Ellen in the ‘90s, on which she publicly came out as gay. She said during her comedy set that the end of her talk show mirrors that situation in a way. The comedian pointed out:
For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I’ve been kicked out of show business…Eventually they’re going to kick me out for a third time because I’m mean, old, and gay.
The standup tour is reportedly being filmed, so fans will be able to see her set on streaming with a Netflix subscription this fall. In true Ellen DeGeneres fashion, there were plenty of laughs to be had, but make no mistake, the talk show host was deeply affected by the events of the past couple of years. She said:
Honestly, I’m making jokes about what happened to me but it was devastating, really. I just hated the way the show ended. I love that show so much and I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way.
In July 2020, 36 former employees independently reported incidents of racism, sexism, sexual misconduct and harassment from top executives on the show. Three senior producers were fired, but Ellen DeGeneres herself did not come out unscathed, as she was deemed to have fostered that toxic atmosphere, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show never recovered from the ratings dip.
It’s interesting to hear her perspective now on how her long-running talk show came to end, so keep your eye on the schedule of upcoming Netflix movies and TV shows for when you can catch Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour.
