Ellen DeGeneres Claims She’s BLACKBALLED In Hollywood After Racism Scandal!
Ellen DeGeneres Claims She’s BLACKBALLED In Hollywood After Racism Scandal!
Ellen DeGeneres opened up about “getting kicked out of show business” in front of a sold-out crowd at West Hollywood’s Largo at the Coronet Theater Wednesday night.
DeGeneres cut right to the chase on the first night of her “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour,” much to the delight of her audience of 200.
“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 a wave of 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.’”
In 2020, BuzzFeed News reported that “Ellen DeGeneres Show” staffers had alleged that executive producers had subjected them to racism, sexual misconduct, and intimidation. DeGeneres issued an apology on-air and three top producers were fired. She acknowledged at the time that while she was unaware of the toxic dynamic playing out behind the scenes, she was “in a position of privilege and power and […] I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
The Emmy-winning talk show never rebounded from the scandal and ended in May 2022, after a 19-season run.
“Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour” will stay at the Largo through June, then DeGeneres will appear in San Diego, Washington State, Oregon, and the Bay Area.
On Wednesday, DeGeneres told the crowd that her show will be taped for a Netflix special, this fall.
The comedienne addressed her fall from popularity in the wake of the scandal, telling the audience—“What else can I tell you? 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 f*ck yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
DeGeneres called herself an immature leader who really “didn’t know how to be a boss.”
“I didn’t go to business school. I went to Charlie’s Chuckle Hutt,” DeGeneres joked. “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 that that meant I should be in charge.”
She referenced the cancellation of her 1990’s sitcom after she came out as gay, commenting—“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.”
“I’m giving stuff away…and I danced, then I was mean and they didn’t like me again,” she noted of her once-popular talk show. “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.”
The 66-year-old shared that she was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis and arthritis, and joked that “Wheel of Fortune” had become an obsession.
She revealed that her mother had dementia, drawing a mother-daughter parallel when she added that they had both lost a similar sense of identity.
“And now my mother doesn’t know she’s my mother and I’m trying to figure out who I am without my show,” DeGeneres said.
The crowd gave DeGeneres a standing ovation at the conclusion of her set, which prompted her to take questions from audience members.
One fan asked if her experience after coming out as gay had prepared her for the backlash she received during the downfall of the “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“This was a whole different thing,” she replied. “This was like, ‘What is going on?’ 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.’”
“Honestly, I’m making jokes about what happened to me but it was devastating, really,” she added. “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.”
Stay Connected With All About The Tea: Twitter Ι Instagram Ι YouTube Ι Facebook Ι Send Us Tips
