The end of her talk show was a topic of interest for Ellen DeGeneres as she embarked on her new stand-up set. On Wednesday, DeGeneres kicked off Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour in Los Angeles’ Largo at the Coronet. There, she broke her silence regarding the end of her time in show business.
The comedian hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show for 19 seasons before it was canceled. In 2020, allegations rose from former employees alleging “day-to-day toxicity,” which stood in contrast to the bubbly positivity DeGeneres presented in her show. The former staff members pointed to producers and other senior managers for fostering this negative environment and DeGeneres said she would “take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
Ellen DeGeneres breaks her silence regarding getting “kicked out” of show business in a new stand-up show
By 2022, The Ellen DeGeneres Show was done, making her Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour her first major project in two years, notes CNN. DeGeneres says that is, in part, because of her rough ejection from daytime television.
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“Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business,” she joked while on stage in West Hollywood. “There’s no mean people in show business.”
She went on, “The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. 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?”
The comedian goes for a bittersweet stroll down memory lane
During her stand-up bit, DeGeneres also referenced the time her sitcom Ellen was canceled in 1998, not long after she came out as gay.
“For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I’ve been kicked out of show business,” she noted. “Eventually they’re going to kick me out for a third time because I’m mean, old and gay.”
Back in 2020, 11 former and current employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show shared their experiences on the show, alleging that the workplace fostered a toxic environment. Their accounts were shared in a Buzzfeed News report.
Accounts include alleged firing after taking medical leave or bereavement time off to attend a funeral. Others claim they endured racism and microaggressions. After the story circulated, those who never worked for the show but met DeGeneres said she could be mean as well, including a waitress at a venue DeGeneres went to.
After returning to the show following the report’s release, DeGeneres addressed the claims to the audience. “I learned that things happened here that never should have happened,” she said. “I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected.” She added, “I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
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