Topics: Ellen DeGeneres, Film and TV, Netflix, Racism, Entertainment, US News
The 'canceled' talk show host has opened up about her exile from show biz, claiming that things would be different if she didn't say one phrase.
Ellen DeGeneres' fall from grace wasn't pretty, it happened during the 'cancel culture' era and it came down to an expose by Buzzfeed, which dived into the politics at play behind the scenes at The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The talk show was incredibly popular and ran for a total of 19 seasons, and for 17 of those seasons fans adored her.
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But in May 2022, it came to an abrupt end following allegations of racism, sexual misconduct and intimidation at the hands of three executive producers who worked on the show.
It was the second time she was kicked out of show business, the first was in the 90s when her sitcom Ellen, which aired from 1996-1998, was canceled after she announced to the world that she was gay.
Speaking to the publication back in 2020, a former Black employee at The Ellen DeGeneres Show told the publication she was subject to multiple racist comments.
She said: "Whenever I brought up an issue to my white male boss, he would bring up some random story about some random Black friend that he had and how they managed to get over stuff.
"He would use his black friend as some way to say, ‘I understand your struggle'. But it was all performative bull****."
It is worth noting that the comments made weren't about DeGeneres, although another former employee pointed out: "If she wants to have her own show and have her name on the show title, she needs to be more involved to see what's going on."
Now, the 66-year-old has opened up about life after her talk show as she made a return to stand-up - but vows to call it quits after 2024.
The Netflix special is earmarked for release on Tuesday (September 24).
DeGeneres explained why she believed she was ousted, and it came down to the show's former mantra.
"The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind, that was the headline. Here's the problem - I am comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, 'be kind to one another'.
"Had I ended my show by saying 'go f*** yourselves', people would've been pleasantly surprised to find out I'm kind."
One former employee definitely who spoke about it to the publication at the time, said: “That ‘be kind’ bullsh*t only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show.
"I know they give money to people and help them out, but it’s for show.”
