Ellen DeGeneres has addressed the controversial end of her daytime talk show during the opening night of her new stand-up tour, joking that she was 'kicked out of show business' for being 'mean'. The 66-year-old comedian performed at the Largo in Los Angeles on Thursday, referencing a 2020 Buzzfeed News investigation that alleged a toxic workplace on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The investigation, based on interviews with numerous employees, alleged racism, sexual misconduct and intimidation by executive producers, contradicting DeGeneres's 'be kind' mantra. The show fired three top producers, and DeGeneres issued an on-air apology, saying she took responsibility for what happened. The show ended its 19-year run in May 2022.
Onstage, DeGeneres mused about becoming 'the most hated person in America', saying: 'I got kicked out of show business. There's no mean people in show business.' She lamented how the headlines reduced her legacy, adding: 'The “be kind” girl wasn’t kind. I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps.'
During an audience Q&A, DeGeneres was asked if she continued to 'dance' during tough times. She responded: 'No … It’s hard to dance when you’re crying,' noting that she 'had a hard time' and 'didn’t get out' during the scandal. She described the period as 'laying low' and becoming 'persona non grata' for the second time in her career, the first being when she came out as gay in 1997.
DeGeneres said she had come to terms with what happened and was 'dancing now', but admitted it was 'devastating' and took a long time for her to want to do anything again. She also expressed regret over how the show ended, saying: 'I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way.'
When asked if she would seek revenge, DeGeneres responded: 'I don’t know who wronged me. I don’t even know who these people are, so I can’t seek revenge, but I really don’t hold on to stuff.' Her tour, Ellen’s Last Stand … Up Tour, will continue through San Diego, Washington, Oregon and the Bay Area before culminating in a Netflix special to be taped this fall.
