“I’m mean, old and gay.”

Nearly two years after the curtain fell on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen DeGeneres stepped back into the spotlight. At her recent stand-up gig at the Largo in Los Angeles, DeGeneres didn’t shy away from the controversies that nudged her off the daytime TV throne. 

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“Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business,” she declared, her tone dripping with irony. “There’s no mean people in show business.”

Controversy and Comebacks

Back in 2020, a storm brewed over The Ellen DeGeneres Show when allegations of a toxic workplace surfaced. An article by BuzzFeed shed light on accusations from 11 anonymous staff members who cited “racism, fear, and intimidation.” While the blame was primarily pinned on executive producers, the damage to DeGeneres’s reputation was done. A Twitter thread by comedian Kevin T. Porter that year labeled her as “notoriously one of the meanest people alive,” inviting others to share similar stories.

Despite her surprise at these accusations, DeGeneres apologized to her team, and three executive producers were dismissed following an internal investigation. Critics saw this as a belated effort to salvage her public image amidst mounting discontent.

The Show Must Go On

The talk show wrapped up in May 2022, marking a significant pause in DeGeneres’s career. Reflecting on her setbacks during her stand-up show, she quipped, “For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I’ve been kicked out of show business… Eventually they’re going to kick me out for a third time because I’m mean, old, and gay.”

Post-show, DeGeneres engaged in a heartfelt Q&A with the audience, expressing the emotional toll of losing her talk show. “This was like, ‘What is going on?’ It was so hurtful. I couldn’t gain perspective. I couldn’t do anything to make myself understand that it wasn’t personal,” she shared. 

Despite these challenges, she revealed plans to feature her stand-up material in a Netflix special this fall, suggesting that her days in showbiz are far from over.

Facing the Music

DeGeneres acknowledged the extreme reactions she has faced throughout her career. “It’s been such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem. There’s such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolize you or they hate you,” she told the audience, “and those people somehow are louder.”