Ellen DeGeneres is breaking her silence two years after her long-running talk show ended following allegations of a toxic workplace.
The former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” host, 66, returned to the stage Wednesday night to kick off the Ellen’s Last Stand…Up tour with a set at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. According to Rolling Stone and People, DeGeneres took the opportunity to address the elephant in the room: her absence from the limelight in recent years.
“We both kept a low profile for a while,” she said of herself and her wife of 15 years, Portia de Rossi, according to media reports.
Reflecting on the backlash she received after a Buzzfeed News published a report in July 2020 detailing current and former employees’ claims that they had faced racism, fear and intimidation while While they were working on the show, DeGeneres summed up: “The ‘be nice’ girl wasn’t nice. I became this one-dimensional character who was giving stuff and dancing moves.
When an audience member asked if she was able to dance through difficult times, DeGeneres replied, “No, it’s hard to dance when you’re crying. But I’m dancing now.”
The actress took a moment to be vulnerable with her fans during the first show of her tour.
“I make jokes about what happened to me, but it was really devastating,” she said. “I hated the way the show ended. I love this show so much and I just hated that the last time people saw me was like that.”
In a monologue commemorating her final episode after 19 years on the air, DeGeneres said: “I walked out of here 19 years ago and I said this is the start of a relationship. And today , it’s not the end of a relationship. It’s more of a little break. It’s a “You can see other talk shows now and I might see another audience from time to time.”
DeGeneres’ contract expired in May 2022, when the series aired its final episode, and before that, she spoke publicly about the possibility of ending the series.
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In its report, Buzzfeed News noted that most former employees blamed executive producers and other senior staff for “day-to-day toxicity.” Still, one former employee said DeGeneres “really needs to take more responsibility.”
Some said they were fired after taking sick leave or mourning days to attend a funeral, while one said she was the victim of racist comments, actions and microaggressions.
Returning to the show after the explosive report, DeGeneres told the audience, “I’ve learned that things have happened here that should never have happened. I take this very seriously and I want to say that I I am truly sorry to those who were affected.”
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She continued, “I know I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that comes with responsibilities, and I take responsibility for what happens on my show.”
In a statement to USA TODAY in 2020, executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner said they were “truly heartbroken and sorry to learn” of the allegations.
“Over nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes and employing more than 1,000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe and inclusive work environment. We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that “Only one person in our production family had a negative experience.”
The following month, executive producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman were ousted from the syndicated talk show.
According to the comedian’s website, five more Los Angeles shows are scheduled through early June before DeGeneres hits the road to other West Coast cities.
Contributors: Hannah Yasharoff and Sara M Moniuszko
