Ellen DeGeneres' final stand-up special has hit Netflix, and sees the comedian addressing being 'kicked out of show business' over toxic work environment allegations.
In 2020, DeGeneres became the center of a Buzzfeed News report that claimed her former talk show bolstered a toxic work environment where allegations of racism, sexual misconduct, and intimidation were made against three executive producers on the show.
Following an internal investigation by Warner Bros., three executive producers and one co-executive producer were removed from the show. DeGeneres proceeded to publicly apologize for the talk show's workplace culture, and the series ultimately ended in 2022 after 19 seasons.
In her latest comedy special For Your Approval on Netflix, DeGeneres addresses the controversy and catches the audience up on what she's been doing recently saying: "Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business."
"Yeah, 'cause I'm mean. You can't be mean and be in show business. No, they'll kick you out. No mean people in show business. I'm out," she continues.
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The comedian proceeds to recall what it's been like dealing with the aftermath of the allegations saying: "Everywhere I go, I know everyone's heard that I'm mean. I know when I walk into a restaurant, people are watching, waiting to see if I'll be mean."
She also disclosed the moment she first learned about the claims, saying that the first headline she saw was: "How Ellen DeGeneres Became the Most Hated Person in America."
"It's a horrible thing to say about somebody, and to make it worse, there was no trophy, no awards banquet, nothing," DeGeneres chimed.
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"Just the title. Just, you know, I made a sash at home and I wore that around just to feel like I had something, you know?"
The Finding Dory star then admits that it was 'quite a shock' for her to see these types of headlines and stories coming out, and revealed that she sought therapy to 'deal with all the hatred.'
"I was in therapy for a while, trying to deal with all the hatred that was coming at me, and it was not a common situation for a therapist to deal with," DeGeneres shared.
"At one point my therapist said, 'Ellen, where do you get this idea that everyone hates you?'
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"And I said, 'Well, um, New York Times, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly, I think Elmo may have said something recently on an episode of Sesame Street."
The former talk show host went on to say that by ending every episode of her show with 'be kind to one another,' she created a 'one-dimensional character' she felt boxed by.
"I became a brand, a one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced every day up steps. Do you know how hard it was to dance up steps?," she says.
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"Would a mean person dance up steps? I don't think so. Had I ended my show by saying 'Go f**k yourselves,' people would've been pleasantly surprised to find out I'm kind."
For Your Approval is available to stream on Netflix now.
Topics: Ellen DeGeneres, Netflix
Yasmeen Hamadeh