Ellen DeGeneres, the self-described “Be Kind” girl, says in her new Netflix stand-up special that she was “kicked out of show business” for being “mean,” despite taking responsibility for the implosion of her long-running eponymous talk show after allegations of behind-the-scenes intimidation, racism, and sexual misconduct.
“Here’s the problem,” she says in Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, scheduled for release next week. “I’m a comedian who got a talk show, and I ended the show every day by saying, ‘Be kind to one another.’ Had I ended the show by saying, ‘Go f**k yourselves,’ people would have been pleasantly surprised to find out I’m kind.”
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The defiant stance accompanies a vow by the out comedian to never perform again.
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“This is the last time you’re going to see me,” she shared with the audience at a show in Santa Rosa, California, in July. “After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
Time will tell.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show began to unravel late in its 19-year run when allegations of rampant abuse began to surface. Two explosive stories about the toxic work environment published by Buzzfeed News led to an investigation by Warner Bros., producer of the program along with DeGeneres’ own Very Good Productions. Three top producers got the axe.
But the house-cleaning and a poorly received on-air apology from the host weren’t enough to salvage the multiple Emmy-winning show. DeGeneres signed off for the last time in May 2022 with her signature “Be kind” goodbye.
“The ‘Be Kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline,” she explains in the special.
Despite DeGeneres’ pledge to stay out of the spotlight, the 66-year-old continues to produce from behind the scenes and has multiple projects in development through Very Good.
She’s also been raising chickens, she shares in the stand-up.
But it’s clear from her material in the show that DeGeneres still has a chip on her shoulder over how she believes she was treated.
“I didn’t go into this business for money,” DeGeneres offers. “It was about healing my childhood wounds. I thought, if I could make people happy, they’ll like me. And if they like me, I’ll feel good about myself.
“All I can say about that is,” DeGeneres adds with a beat, “thank God for the money.”
Forbes estimated the former talk show host’s worth in 2020 to be $370 million.
