ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Ellen DeGeneres Claims She Was ‘Kicked Out of Show Business’ for ‘Being Mean’
Ellen DeGeneres is using the toxic workplace scandal that surrounded her former talk show in her new standup act, where she claimed she was “kicked out of show business” for “being mean.”
“There’s no mean people in show business. The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind,” Ellen, 66, told the audience at West Hollywood’s Coronet Theater on Wednesday, April 24, during her new tour, Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour, according to Rolling Stone.
Referring to her cheery talk show image, the comedian explained, “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?” she asked.
“Had I ended my show by saying, ‘Go f–k yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised,” Ellen joked.
During her stand-up routine, the Louisiana native recalled how Hollywood already turned on her after she publicly came out as gay on her sitcom Ellen in 1997, making history but resulting in her show ending the following year.
“Eventually they’re going to kick me out for a third time because I’m mean, old, and gay,” she joked about the industry possibly turning on her again.
As for her talk show, “I’m giving stuff away … and I danced, then I was mean and they didn’t like me again,” Ellen joked.
The Finding Dory voice actress’s daytime talk show became the subject of internal investigation by WarnerMedia in July 2020 after numerous complaints of a toxic workplace environment emerged.
Shortly after that, Ellen announced three executive producers had been let go, “My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that,” she said in a memo to staffers.
When the new season returned in September 2020, Ellen told her audience, “As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation. I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected.”
The Emmy winner announced in May 2021 that her talk show would be coming to an end after the upcoming season 19, but continued to claim she had no idea about the behind-the-scenes issues involving her workplace and unhappy staffers.
“I read in the press that there’s a toxic work environment, which I had no idea, never saw anything that would even point to that,” she said during a May 2021 Today show appearance.
When host Savannah Guthrie asked Ellen if it felt as if she had been “cancelled,” the former Oscars host responded, “I really didn’t understand it. I still don’t understand it. It was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated. People get picked on, but for four months straight for me. And then for me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is and what a happy place this is.”
Ellen added, “But I do wish somebody would have come to me and said, ‘Hey, something’s going on that you should know about.’”
Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.
