Ellen DeGeneres has broken her silence about bullying accusations that ultimately led to the cancelation of her top-rated talk show, Ellen. In a new Netflix stand-up episdoe, “Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval,” the 66-year-old gave her audience an update on what has been going on for her since her show was scrapped. “I got chickens. Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business for being mean,” she joked.
She went on to describe the scandal that caused her downfall and sarcastically stated that you can’t be in showbusiness and be mean, “they’ll kick you out.” DeGeneres claimed that she first heard about the alleged “toxic” atmosphere on her show when it made newspaper headlines, and she was stunned to learn that she had become “the most hated person in America” overnight. The comedian continued the joke, saying it was quite a title for her, but she was disappointed it didn’t come with a trophy or an awards banquet.
Striking a more serious tone, DeGeneres said it was a genuine shock because she had been trusted for 17 years. She added that part of her problem was that she ended her show by telling people to be kind; therefore, she was inadvertently holding herself to an impossible standard.
Louisiana native DeGeneres also noted that the episode caused her immense personal harm and that she sought out therapy to cope with suddenly being so despised. “It was not a common situation for a therapist to deal with,” she added.
Noting it was the second time she was “kicked out of show business,” the comedian referred back to 1994 when her sitcom, Ellen, was scrapped after she came out as a lesbian. DeGeneres describes fame and show business as comprised of two extremes where you are either loved and idolized or the subject of vitriol, and a person can switch from one to the other in a very short time. She said her show’s cancelation played havoc with her self-esteem, but she has come to expect that she may be “kicked out” for a third time because she is “mean, old, and gay.”
