From toxic bullying to that Dakota Johnson interview: The decline and fall of Ellen DeGeneres
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ellen DeGeneres, who is retiring from Hollywood, attempts to reconnect with the audience for one last time in her comedy special 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval'. Arriving on Netflix, the comedian/host talks about being "kicked out of show business" twice and the deep sense of "devastation" she felt following the controversial end of her talk show in 2022.
Though her comedy act may be an attempt to redeem her controversial image, fans who have followed her journey can't ignore the numerous incidents when she faced backlash, negatively impacting her career and public image over the years. Here’s a complete timeline of the controversies:
1997: Coming out on 'The Ellen Show'
On April 30, 1997, Ellen DeGeneres publicly came out as gay, both personally and through her character, on her sitcom 'Ellen'. It was a historic moment as her character, Ellen Morgan, became the LGBTQ+ lead character on a US network television show.
It was indeed a courageous and ground-breaking moment for LGBTQ+ representation, but it led to a backlash from conservative groups. The ratings eventually dropped leading to its cancellation in 1998.
2017: Accusations of mean behaviour by Kathy Griffin
Comedian Kathy Griffin, in her memoir, called out DeGeneres's mean behavior, without explicitly mentioning her name. She wrote, “I’m almost positive a certain beloved daytime talk show host once had me kicked out of a backstage dressing room at the Emmy Awards. I can’t prove it, but this person, who has short blonde hair, has a mean streak that all of Hollywood knows about."
Griffin had made an appearance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' in 2007. When the excerpt from her memoir garnered attention, she clarified, “Ellen did a monologue about how mean I am. I was in the dressing room like, ‘Sh*t! You’re another woman comic, c’mon!'", as per Perez Hilton. This marked the beginning of rumors that Ellen was not as nice as her public persona suggested.
2019: George W Bush controversy
In October 2019, DeGeneres sparked public debate when she was seen attending a Dallas Cowboys football game with former President George W Bush. People sarcastically reminded DeGeneres of Bush's opposition to LGBTQ+ rights during his presidency.
"They thought, why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?" DeGeneres observed the criticism while defending herself in a statement: "We're all different. And I think that we've forgotten that that's OK that we're all different. When I say be kind to one another, I don't mean be kind to the people who think the same way you do. I mean be kind to everyone," as per CBS News. Her statement had very little impact on people as they continued to question their friendship.
2019: Ellen DeGeneres and Dakota Johnson's awkward banter
Ellen DeGeneres and Dakota Johnson had an awkward exchange on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' in November 2019. It all started when DeGeneres jokingly accused Dakota of not inviting her to her birthday party.
Dakota immediately corrected her, saying, “Actually no. That’s not the truth, Ellen. You were invited. Last time I was on the show last year, you gave me a bunch of shit about not inviting you, but I didn’t even know you wanted to be invited. I didn’t even know you liked me!”
'Fifty Shades of Grey' star reminded the host that she had invited her to the birthday party, but she didn't come. DeGeneres was visibly taken aback by this, awkwardly trying to recover, asking, “Are you sure? I don’t think so."
As Dakota reiterated that she had indeed invited her, DeGeneres said, “I was invited? Why didn’t I go? Oh yeah, I had a thing. It was probably in Malibu. That’s too far for me to go ― I think I do remember I was invited. But I really didn’t remember that until just now.”
This clip went viral on social media and people called out DeGeneres for her behavior and questioned her authenticity. The incident further fuelled ongoing rumors about DeGeneres's "mean" off-camera personality, which had already been a subject of speculation for years.
2020: Backlash from NikkieTutorials
In January 2020, Ellen DeGeneres hosted Dutch YouTuber Nikki De Jager, who runs a popular YouTube channel named NikkieTutorials. Initially, De Jager was grateful to get a platform to talk about her coming out journey. However, months later, she slammed the show, revealing shocking behind-the-scene secrets.
Call me naive, but I kind of expected to be welcomed with confetti cannons: ‘Welcome to The Ellen DeGeneres Show!’ But instead, I was greeted by an angry intern who was a bit overworked. I was expecting a Disney show but got Teletubbies after dark," she said in an interview with Dutch publication &C.
“Every guest at Ellen’s had a private toilet, but I didn’t. I was not allowed to use the nearest toilet because it was reserved for the Jonas Brothers," she further added.
2020: Toxic workplace allegations
In 2020, Ellen DeGeneres landed in huge trouble when some former and current employees came forward and talked about the toxic work culture. "They said they were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days to attend family funerals," BuzzFeed News made the revelation in its report while keeping the anonymity of the accusers.
Allegations of bullying, racism, and harassment behind the scenes further ruined DeGeneres's image. A Black woman, who previously worked on the talk show said that one of the main writers once told her, “I’m sorry, I only know the names of the white people who work here,” while other coworkers “awkwardly laughed it off."
April 2020: COVID-19 comments
During the COVID-19 pandemic, DeGeneres compared quarantining in her multimillion-dollar mansion to being in jail. People found her statement insensitive, given the widespread suffering and economic hardship.
July 2020: Internal investigation
After the allegations of a toxic environment, harassment and bullying, WarnerMedia launched an internal investigation. Eventually, three top producers were fired following the investigation.
DeGeneres received massive backlash and she later issued a public apology while claiming that she was unaware of the toxic environment. On the Season 18 premiere of her talk show, she stated, "I am that person that you see on TV. I am also a lot of other things... I get sad. I get mad. I get anxious. I get frustrated." While some appreciated the apology, others found it insincere or too little, too late.
The decline of the show started in 2020 when the allegations first emerged. As criticism increased, the ratings began to fall. Eventually, the show concluded in 2022, after a lengthy run of 19 years.
How to stream 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval'?
In the second and last comedy special, DeGeneres talks about her historic career, fame and how it ended with controversies. The show is titled 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval'.
It is scheduled to arrive on Netflix on Tuesday, September 23. You can watch it by renewing or purchasing a subscription to Netflix which comes at a minimum rate of $6.99 / month (with ads).
'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval' trailer