Ellen's back to 'lift you up' as she reaches out to Americans in self-isolation from her living room
The coronavirus pandemic has put a stopper on the production of many television shows and films. Ellen DeGeneres too had to press pause on her talk show in mid-March. And while she may not be back in the studio for the foreseeable future, fans of her show don’t have to be sad. The talk show host was back with an episode shot in the living room of her home.
“Hi everyone. Thanks for not being here,” DeGeneres joked in the YouTube video, joining the trend of other talk show hosts like Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, who have been filming from their respective homes.
“This is crazy, I wasn’t supposed to be doing my show from my house until next season.”in her
DeGeneres, whose wife Portia de Rossi served as the director and camera operator, took some time to thank "everyone who keep us going" at the beginning of the video. “Today, I want to applaud you,” she said while clapping.
“Usually I walk out and people applaud me, but today I’m applauding you -- nurses, doctors, hospital staff, first responders, supermarket employees, truck drivers, everyone who keeps us going, thank you so much.”
In classic DeGeneres move, she joked that she’s filming her show from her living room “because it has the best light and sound and because all the rooms in my house are filled with toilet paper”, before explaining why it was so important to get back on air -- one, to keep her staff employed; two, she also wanted to provide an escape for viewers who were not handling isolation well.
“While we’re all stuck here, I want to help you take your mind off of everything that’s going on in the world,” DeGeneres said. “I’ve always wanted to have this show as a distraction, as a break from whatever’s going on out there that may be unpleasant. So if you’re feeling down, I want to lift you up. If you’re feeling trapped, I want to set you free. If you’re feeling like you’re going in the wrong direction, I want you to back that thing up. It is a strange time, and this is what we have to do right now.”
“I want to spread light where there’s shade, I want to bring a glow where it’s gloomy, I want to stick a candle where the sun doesn’t shine,” she said. “Hmm, I don’t know about that (last) one."
After her monologue, she had a video chat with Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, and an in-person appearance by executive producer, ‘Average’ Andy Lassner. The video then cut to her brother, guitar instructor Vance DeGeneres, whose 60-second Instagram lesson was interrupted by actor Steve Carrell.
DeGeneres isn’t the only daytime television personality to work from home this week. TV Line reported that ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ will also incorporate new segments into episodes taped before the show stopped production last month. Similarly, Rachael Ray will air two new episodes, on Monday and Friday, filmed at her upstate New York home. ‘Live With Kelly and Ryan’, ‘The Talk’ and ‘The View’ have already returned with their hosts appearing on air from their respective homes.
Watch the full Ellen video right here: