Ellen Degeneres Opens Up About Being 'Kicked Out Of Show Business' After Toxic Workplace Allegations

Ellen DeGeneres has recently broken her silence for the first time since the iconic talk show she hosted came to a controversial conclusion.

She expressed feeling as though she had been "kicked out of show business."

The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which enjoyed a successful run of 19 years, hosted numerous celebrities including the Kardashian family, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Justin Bieber. 

It was beloved not only in the U.S. but globally.

However, the show abruptly ended in May 2022 after allegations surfaced that the working environment was "toxic" for the staff behind the scenes.

Ellen Degeneres' show came to an end in 2022 after 19 years. Brooks Kraft / Getty Images

There were serious allegations including racism, sexual misconduct, and intimidation, which were reportedly perpetuated by three executive producers on the show.

Although these producers were dismissed, and Ellen herself stated she was unaware of these issues, the damage to the show's reputation was deemed beyond repair.

Since the show's end, Ellen has kept a relatively low profile, engaging only sporadically in projects such as the Discovery Channel documentary titled, Saving the Gorillas: Ellen's Next Adventure.

Ellen has now ventured back into comedy with her new tour, called Ellen's Last Stand... Up Tour, which launched earlier this week in Los Angeles.

She chose her first performance on this tour to address the end of her talk show.

During her performance in Hollywood, as reported by Rolling Stone, Ellen told the audience: "Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business. There's no mean people in show business." 

She 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 f**k yourself,' people would've been pleasantly surprised." 

She also joked in her set: "I didn't go to business school. I went to Charlie's Chuckle Hutt.

"The show was called Ellen and everybody was wearing T-shirts that said 'Ellen' and there were buildings on the Warner Brothers lot that said 'Ellen,' but I don't know if that meant I should be in charge." 

She added a bit of self-reflective humor by saying: "For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I've been kicked out of show business.

The comedian has recently embarked on a new comedy tour. The Ellen DeGeneres Show

"Eventually they're going to kick me out for a third time because I'm mean, old, and gay."

This was likely a nod to her 1990s sitcom, which was canceled after she publicly came out as gay.

Ellen also shared with the audience how the recent events had impacted her personally, stating: "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."

At 66 years old, she spoke about aging and its effects, mentioning that she often ponders existential topics like time and the creation of the universe.

She also revealed that her doctor recently diagnosed her with osteoporosis and arthritis.

When asked if dancing made her feel any better, she replied:

"No. It's hard to dance when you're crying. But I am dancing now."