Ellen DeGeneres Jokes She Got ‘Kicked Out Of Show Business’ In First Look At Netflix Special

18 Sep 2024 by Conor Murray · Forbes

Topline

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres addressed her controversial exit from show business in a trailer for her upcoming Netflix stand-up special, which she has said will cap off her career, years after allegations of a toxic workplace on set doomed her popular daytime talk show.

Ellen DeGeneres has said her upcoming Netflix special is the "last time" fans will see her. (AP ... [+] Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)2020 Invision

Key Facts

In the trailer for “Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval,” the comedian jokes about what she’s been up to since her talk show ended—which included getting new chickens, taking up gardening, and getting “kicked out of show business.”

DeGeneres lamented that the headlines surrounding her exit from her daytime talk show were, “the ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind”—likely referencing allegations detailed in a 2020 Buzzfeed News report that she subjected current and former staffers to “racism, fear, and intimidation” on set.

DeGeneres said she ended all her shows by telling her audience to “be kind to one another,” but joked the headlines about her would’ve been different if she had said “go f*ck yourselves” instead.

The comedian said she went into show business to make people happy and feel good about herself, not for money, joking: “All I can say about that is, thank God for the money.”

What To Watch For

“Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval” premieres Sept. 24 on Netflix. The comedian has said the Netflix special will be her final appearance in the public eye. On her now-completed “Ellen’s Last Stand… Up” tour earlier this year, she reportedly told an audience in Santa Rosa, California: “After my Netflix special, I'm done,” telling fans the tour and special are “the last time you're going to see me.”

Key Background

DeGeneres, a stand-up comedian and actress who starred in two sitcoms that bore her name, hosted the popular daytime talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” from 2003 to 2022, which reached millions of viewers each day and won more than 60 Daytime Emmy Awards. Her show lost viewers and ended two years after Buzzfeed published a report in 2020 alleging a toxic work environment, based on interviews with 10 then-current and former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” staffers. The report alleged staffers were instructed not to speak to DeGeneres on set, were fired after taking bereavement days or medical leave and were subject to racist comments and “microaggressions,” with staffers blaming both DeGeneres and other producers for the on-set environment. Weeks later, Buzzfeed published another report citing dozens of former employees of DeGeneres’ talk show alleging producer Kevin Leman engaged in sexual misconduct and harassment. Several celebrities also spoke out about DeGeneres’ conduct, including comedian Brad Garrett, who said her alleged mistreatment of staff is “common knowledge,” while Mariah Carey said she was “extremely uncomfortable” in an interview where DeGeneres effectively forced her to reveal her pregnancy—which she later miscarried—by asking her to drink champagne. DeGeneres reportedly said at a standup show this year her exit from her talk show was the second time she was “kicked out” of show business, following the career backlash she faced after coming out as a lesbian on her 1990s sitcom, “Ellen.”

Forbes Valuation