Why did 'The Ellen Show' end? Netflix show traces Ellen DeGeneres's controversial exit from daytime TV
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ellen DeGeneres, 66, gears up for the release of what she says will be her final comedy special, hitting Netflix on Tuesday, September 23. In the 1 hour 10 min long show, she addresses the controversial conclusion of her shows that entertained the audiences one after the other, for two decades. In the early 2000s, when she came out of the closet, the ratings of 'The Ellen Show' fell, sponsors withdrew and her show was cancelled.
It took her time before she regained popularity with the next talk show, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'. Offering a blend of comedy, celebrity interviews, and feel-good stories, it won over 60 Daytime Emmys. However, before the show's conclusion in 2022, it made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Claims of toxic workplace environment came to light. Though some producers were let go, as per BBC, and she apologized on-air, the controversy lingered. Two years later, she's back for the last laugh.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses controversy around her shows
Two years after the conclusion of her talk show, Ellen Degeneres returns to the comedy stage addressing the controversy around her talk shows which ended on an abrupt note.
“Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business. There’s no mean people in show business. … 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? Had I ended my show by saying, ‘Go f-ck yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised," she said onstage of the Largo at the Coronet Theater in West Hollywood, reports Rolling Stone.
“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,” she told the audience, , referencing how 'The Ellen Show' concluded in 2002 after a year's run when she came out as gay.
“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, and those people somehow are louder," she added.
Ellen DeGeneres acknowledges being "devastated"
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During a Q&A with the Largo audience after delivering her set, she said, “It was so hurtful. I couldn’t gain perspective. I couldn’t do anything to make myself understand that it wasn’t personal. I just thought, ‘Well this is not the way I wanted to end my career, but this is the way it’s ending.’ … I just hated the way the show ended. I love that show so much and I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way.”
"I’m making jokes about what happened to me, but it was devastating, really,” she said. “It took a long time for me to want to do anything again," she said, as per a report by The Guardian.
How to stream 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval'?
DeGeneres kept a low profile after her show concluded in 2022. Two years later, she returned to the public eye with her stand-up act. 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval' is coming on Netflix on Tuesday, September 23.
The official synopsis reads, "In the final comedy special of her historic career, Ellen gets candid about fame, parallel parking, and life since getting "kicked out of show business."
Produced by Ben Winston and Fulwell73, this marks her second stand-up special with Netflix, following 2018's 'Relatable'. In that, DeGeneres took us through her rise to fame and the life lessons she picked up along the way.
'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval' trailer