Ellen DeGeneres is opening up about getting canceled. The comedian garnered negative headlines for toxic workplace claims. Now, DeGeneres is taking to the stage in a standup routine to share her side of the story.
DeGeneres said (via People), “I didn’t care what other people thought of me, and I realized… I said that at the height of my popularity.”
DeGeneres had a rough time in the media after reports about toxic conditions surfaced. DeGeneres said she became the “most hated person in America” for a while. As a result, DeGeneres said she became a caricature, and her works suffered.
“The hate went on for a long time and I would try to avoid looking at the news,” she recalled. “The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline.”
DeGeneres regrets ending her talk show by saying,”Be kind to one another.” She said she wanted to give kindness back to the world, but she ended up creating a problem. DeGeneres said people started thinking of her as a “one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps.”
“What else can I tell you?” she added. “Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business. There’s no mean people in show business.”
Ellen DeGeneres Opens Up
DeGeneres also opened up about coming out as gay and how that affected her positioning in entertainment. “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 said.
DeGeneres said that it all had “been such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem”.
“There’s such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolise you or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder,” she added. DeGeneres confessed that she didn’t dance anymore.
“No… It’s hard to dance when you’re crying,” she said. However, she felt she was ready to joke again.
“I’m making jokes about what happened to me, but it was devastating,” she said. “It took a long time for me to want to do anything again.”
Ultimately, the comedian said she hated the way that the show came to an end. She said she “loved that show so much.” However, she was happy to converse with fans once again. She said, “I think that we need more laughter and less drama,” she said.