Photo Credit: Associated Press
It's all laid out by Ellen DeGeneres. The comedian thought back on the controversy and its effects two years after quitting her own daytime talk show, which was dogged by claims of a toxic workplace in its latter years.
"I got kicked out of show business," Ellen quipped during her stand-up comedy set at the Coronet Theater in West Hollywood on April 24, per Rolling Stone. "There's no mean person in show business."
The 66-year-old criticized the 'be kind' girl for being one-dimensional, giving away things, and dancing up steps, questioning if a mean person would be able to do so.
In a shocking BuzzFeed News article from 2020, 11 current and former Ellen DeGeneres Show staff members talked about their experiences working on the talk show and characterized it as a toxic workplace. A few reported experiencing executive producer partiality, micro aggressions, and sudden terminations.
Ellen apologized for the workplace allegations that led to the cancellation of her show, Ellen's Last Stand-Up Tour, in the season 18 premiere opening monologue. She stated that the cancellation was not due to workplace allegations but rather to her personal feelings. Ellen has since kept a low profile, but is now back on stage for her comedy show.
Ellen, who starred in the popular comedy show Ellen, admitted that she didn't know how to be a boss. She didn't attend business school, and the show was called Ellen, with everyone wearing T-shirts and buildings on the Warner Brothers lot bearing the name. Ellen didn't know if this meant she should be in charge.
Additionally, she drew comparisons to the 1998 cancellation of her sitcom Ellen due to her coming out as gay.
"For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I've been kicked out of show business," stated Ellen. "Eventually, they're going to kick me out for a third time because I'm mean, old, and gay."
Ellen openly discussed her mother Betty DeGeneres' dementia struggles and her own struggles in navigating her new life, stating that her mother doesn't recognize her as her mother, and she's trying to figure out who she is without her show.
