Ellen DeGeneres Said She “Hated The Way” That “The Ellen Show” Ended Following Claims Of A Toxic Work Environment

“I couldn’t gain perspective… I just thought, ‘Well, this is not the way I wanted to end my career, but this is the way it’s ending.’”

By
Ellen Durney
by Ellen Durney

BuzzFeed Staff

It seems like Ellen DeGeneres is planning a return to the limelight, but first, she’s taking the time to reflect on her past.

Ellen DeGeneres in a patterned suit at a Golden Globe event
Steve Granitz / WireImage

As I’m sure you’ll know, Ellen’s been laying low since the end of her talk show in 2022, two years after a series of BuzzFeed News reports brought to light allegations of a toxic work environment behind the scenes.

Ellen DeGeneres on stage in a black suit holding an award, with blue stage lights behind her
Christopher Polk / NBCUniversal / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

For context, in July 2020, BuzzFeed News spoke with current and former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, who shared allegations of racism and workplace bullying. Staffers also claimed that three of the show’s executive producers fostered an environment where sexual harassment and inappropriate touching were pervasive.


“That ‘be kind’ bullshit only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show,” one former employee claimed in the exposé. “I know they give money to people and help them out, but it’s for show.”

The allegations prompted an internal investigation by WarnerMedia, and within days of the initial report’s publication, Ellen had issued a formal apology to workers, vowing that she and her fellow execs were “taking steps to correct” the “issues” that had been brought to her attention.

Ellen DeGeneres on a TV set, smiling, in a blue suit and white shirt, standing behind a podium
Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

“On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect,” she wrote in a letter to staffers. “Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry.”


In August 2020, it was also announced that executive producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman, and Jonathan Norman had been fired from the show.

Despite her apology to staff — and a subsequent apology on-air — neither Ellen nor her show could recover from the reputational damage of the allegations. By May 2021, it was announced that The Ellen Show would be ending with its 19th season.

Ellen DeGeneres in a white suit jacket and turtleneck on her talk show set
CBS / YouTube / Via youtu.be

At the time, Ellen told the Hollywood Reporter that she was ending the talk show because it was no longer a creative challenge for her.

Since the show’s final episode in 2022, Ellen has kept a relatively low profile. But now she appears to be gearing up for a career comeback, starting with a new comedy standup show, premiering for a sold-out audience in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening.

Ellen DeGeneres on stage in a blazer and trousers waving, with a mic in hand
Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images for Live Nation

This week's show marked the first stop of her Last Stand…Up Tour, which will reportedly be taped for an upcoming Netflix special — though the streamer is yet to confirm this officially.

According to Rolling Stone, the former host wasted no time before addressing the controversy surrounding the end of her show, recalling that she “got kicked out of show business” because “there’s no mean people in show business.”

Ellen DeGeneres speaking on stage, wearing a black and gold patterned jacket
John Shearer / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Looking back on the public perception of her as “a one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps,” Ellen said she would “try to avoid looking at the news” in the scandal’s aftermath.


“The hate went on for a long time,” she said after describing herself as “the most hated person in America” at the time. “The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline.”

Talking directly about the alleged misconduct under her leadership at The Ellen Show, the 66-year-old seemingly sought to defend her failures by admitting that she “didn’t know how to be a boss.”

Ellen DeGeneres posing with a Golden Globe award, wearing a dotted suit
David Crotty / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

“I didn’t go to business school. I went to Charlie’s Chuckle Hutt,” she 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.”

At various points throughout the set, Ellen apparently made reference to the fact that “this is the second time [she’s] been kicked out of show business,” recalling the cancelation of her ‘90s sitcom, Ellen, after she came out as gay.

Ellen DeGeneres speaking at an event, wearing a plaid suit and seated on a white chair onstage
Sopa Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Bearing this in mind, she described how The Ellen Show helped her regain viewers’ affection in the early 2000s before they turned on her again in 2020 when she was exposed for being “mean.”

Closeup of Ellen DeGeneres
Andrew Chin / Getty Images

“I’m giving stuff away…and I danced, then I was mean, and they didn’t like me again,” she said of the controversy. “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.”

After her standup routine was finished, Ellen hosted a short Q&A session with the audience, which led her to discuss how the scandal impacted her marriage to Portia de Rossi, her wife of 16 years.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi smiling close together at an event, both dressed in stylish outfits
Christopher Polk / NBCU Photo Bank

“She was watching it happen to me,” Ellen said, recalling the “funk” she experienced in the “hard” aftermath of the allegations. “She went through it with me.”


After saying she didn’t dance during the tough period because “it's hard to dance when you're crying,” Ellen reassured fans that she and Portia are both “dancing now.”

Another fan inquired as to whether her first brush with cancelation in the ‘90s made it easier for her to cope when the toxic workplace allegations made headlines in 2020. In response, Ellen said the recent experience was “a whole different thing.”

Ellen DeGeneres in a light blue suit speaking at a podium with a smile, another person in background
Variety / Penske Media via Getty Images

“This was like, What is going on? It was so hurtful,” she said. “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.’”

Finally, after keeping most of her comments about the controversy fairly light-hearted, Ellen emphasized how deeply it impacted her, saying: “Honestly, I’m making jokes about what happened to me, but it was devastating, really.”

Ellen DeGeneres in a dotted suit at an event, surrounded by guests and champagne
Christopher Polk / NBCU Photo Bank

“It took a long time for me to want to do anything again,” 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.”

Topics in this article

Skip to footer