Ellen DeGeneres. (Photo via Ellen’s Facebook)
Returning in a stand-up performance this past week, Ellen DeGeneres appeared on the stage of the Largo at the Coronet Theater in the heart of West Hollywood April 24 in a sold-out show, the comedian joked about the abrupt end of her daytime ratings behemoth talk show two years ago.
Rolling Stone journalist Krystie Lee Yandoli was in the audience and reported that DeGeneres addressed the end of “Ellen” in her opening routine:
“I used to say that I didn’t care what other people thought of me and I realized…I said that at the height of my popularity,” DeGeneres said, prompting the audience to erupt in laughter. “It is such a waste of time to worry about what other people think…Right now I’m hoping you’re thinking, ‘This is marvelous, I’m so happy to be here.’ But you could be thinking, ‘Let’s see how this goes.’”
The gig marks the first night of DeGeneres’ “Ellen’s Last Stand… Up Tour,” which she noted a new Netflix special was to be taped this fall. According to Rolling Stone Netflix declined to comment on the news. A representative for DeGeneres did not respond to a request for comment.
In the summer of 2020 a firestorm erupted around the talk show host in the wake of revelations from staffers that she presided over a “toxic” workplace environment for years, and the accompanying allegations that a woman who built an empire on the “niceness” of her persona is in reality one of the meanest people in the business.
In August 2020, Variety magazine reported that her show had ousted three senior producers in the wake of accusations of racial insensitivity, sexual misconduct and other problems behind the scenes at the talk show:
“Three senior producers — executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman — have been ousted from the Warner Bros.-distributed syndicated strip following damning allegations raised in recent reports by Buzzfeed and Variety.
“Ellen” veterans Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Derek Westervelt will remain at the show as executive producers alongside host DeGeneres. Connelly, Lassner and Westervelt have been with the show since its inception in 2003.“
In a phone call at the time with the Los Angeles Blade, a spokesperson for Warner Brothers confirmed the departure of the three former executives.
The news was broken to the staff of the show after what Variety described those sources knowledgeable as saying that it was an emotional remote video teleconference between DeGeneres, the newly appointed producers and staffers.
Then in May of 2021, in an announcement made to the show’s staff yesterday and in an interview DeGeneres gave The Hollywood Reporter, it was reported that the show was ending its 19 year daytime television run in 2022.
Rolling Stone reported that in her stand-up set this past week, DeGeneres kicked off with a recap of what she’s been up to since her talk-show ended: gardening, a lot of sweatpants-wearing, and collecting chickens as pets. She joked that as someone who once hosted a daily show, she appreciates the plight of the chicken who has to lay an egg every day.
Still, most of the routine found her grappling with having become Public Enemy No. 1 — a whiplash turn from her once-firm reputation as the happy-go-lucky talk-show host who ended each episode telling her audience to “be kind to one another.”
“What else can I tell you?” she mused, mock-reflecting on her recent past before adding sarcastically, “Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business. There’s no mean people in show business.”
“The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind,” DeGeneres continued. “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 fuck yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
At the conclusion of her set, the crowd gave DeGeneres a standing ovation, prompting her to return to the stage for a candid conversation with the audience. DeGeneres called on people one by one as they asked questions and shared messages of gratitude.
As she closed out the night she told the audience:
“Honestly, I’m making jokes about what happened to me but it was devastating, really,” she said. “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.”
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