Ellen DeGeneres Insists She Isn't Mean

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | July 11, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | July 11, 2024 |

Hollywood is notorious for having difficult personalities who are massively successful. It’s a feature, not a bug. Decades have been spent propping up jerks because they are talented and/or make people money. Movies have been made about it. Books have been written. It has been talked about so much that it’s been accepted as some kind of charming quirk (it isn’t). Yes, you’d have to be a real jerk to get “kicked out of show business” for it. Or you can take the tried and true Hollywood route: deny, deny, deny.

Ellen DeGeneres had a spectacular fall from grace that began in 2020. It began with a BuzzFeed article with accusations from current and former staffers that Ellen had created an unhealthy and toxic work environment on her daytime talk show. That led to an internal investigation by Warner Brothers, and eventually the cancelation of DeGeneres’s show. Since then, Ellen has stayed mostly quiet.

Now, the former host is embarking on a stand-up tour. According to SFGate, she is using the opportunity to address the allegations. “Let me catch you up on what’s been going on with me since you last saw me,” Ellen told a crowd in Santa Rosa. “I got chickens. Oh yeah, and I got kicked out of show business for being mean.” To be clear, saying she was being “mean” is a bit of an understatement.

As reported by BuzzFeed, Ellen was not simply being “mean.” Her employees alleged that they were penalized for taking medical leave. That there were instances of racial microaggressions and fear of retribution for raising complaints. It was more than just a “mean” host. However, to be fair, Ellen wasn’t the only person against whom the complaints were lobbed.

Regardless, the host continued to joke about the accusations during her set. “I used to say, ‘I don’t care what people say about me,’” she explained. “Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity.” DeGeneres continued, saying, “Next time, I’ll be kicked out for being old. Old, gay, and mean the triple crown.” Then, she defended herself by saying, “I can be demanding and impatient and tough. I am a strong woman. I am many things, but I am not mean.”

According to DeGeneres, this is the last we’ll be hearing from her. When asked if she would return to show business, she quickly said, “No.” She elaborated, explaining, “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done,” she said. There you have it. Ellen has been kicked out of show business, and you can hear all about it in her Netflix special.