Ellen DeGeneres Addresses Getting ‘Kicked Out’ of Showbiz: ‘This Is Not the Way I Wanted to End My Career.’

Ellen DeGeneres kicked off her Ellen’s Last Stand… Up Tour on Wednesday night (April 24), her biggest re-entry into the public eye since her daytime talk show was canceled two years ago.

“Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business,” DeGeneres told the crowd at the Largo at the Coronet Theater in West Hollywood, according to Rolling Stone. “There’s no mean people in show business.”

“I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps,” she added, referring to her Emmy-winning talk show. “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*** yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised.”

The Ellen DeGeneres Show came to an end in May 2022 after almost 20 years on the air. Its cancelation came amid allegations of toxic behavior on set, including claims of racism, sexual misconduct, and intimidation. Variety also reported frustrations from crew members regarding how the production handled compensation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, DeGeneres apologized on-air, and WarnerMedia conducted an internal investigation, which resulted in three producers being fired.

The talk show host has maintained a low profile over the past two years but is now addressing her recent controversies on stage.

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“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,” DeGeneres quipped on Wednesday night, referencing how her 1990s sitcom Ellen was axed after she publicly came out as gay.

“It’s been such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem,” she continued. “There’s such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolize you, or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder.”

According to Rolling Stone, DeGeneres opened up further in a post-set Q&A with the Largo audience.

“It was so hurtful. I couldn’t gain perspective. I couldn’t do anything to make myself understand that it wasn’t personal,” she explained. “I just thought, ‘Well this is not the way I wanted to end my career, but this is the way it’s ending.’ 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.”