Ellen DeGeneres returned to the comedy stage Wednesday night for the first set of her “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour,” taking significant time to address controversy around her talk show that began with an internal investigation of poor working conditions on the show as reported in Buzzfeed.
“Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business,” DeGeneres sarcastically quipped onstage of the Largo at the Coronet Theater in West Hollywood, reports Rolling Stone, which had a reporter on site for the show. “There’s no mean people in show business. … 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.”
DeGeneres’ Emmy-winning daytime talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” came to an end in May 2022 after nearly 20 years on the air. The ending came after a series of reports detailing allegations of racism, sexual misconduct and intimidation on set, while Variety reported on legacy crew members’ frustrations with how the production handled compensation during the COVID pandemic. DeGeneres gave an on-air apology and three producers were fired after WarnerMedia conducted an internal investigation.
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Since the talk show’s conclusion, DeGeneres has kept a much lower profile. “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour” represents her biggest entry into the public eye after two years, with shows planned through the coming months.
“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,” DeGeneres told the crowd Wednesday night, referencing how her ’90s sitcom “Ellen” was cancelled after she publicly came out as gay. “It’s been such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem. There’s such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolize you or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder.”
“It was so hurtful. I couldn’t gain perspective. I couldn’t do anything to make myself understand that it wasn’t personal,” DeGeneres continued in a post-set Q&A with the Largo audience. “I just thought, ‘Well this is not the way I wanted to end my career, but this is the way it’s ending.’ … 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.”
A representative for DeGeneres did not immediately respond for comment.