Ellen DeGeneres Finally Breaks Silence on Getting 'Kicked Out of Show Business'

Michelle Stein
·2 min read
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Ellen Degeneres

Ellen DeGeneres recently embarked on her first comedy tour since 2018—during which the former talk show host broke her silence about getting "kicked out of show business."

DeGeneres, 66, performed at Club Largo in Los Angeles, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24. And in the process, the comedian joked about getting canceled for a second time following the 2022 toxic workplace accusations at The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"The hate went on for a long time and I would try to avoid looking at the news," DeGeneres said, per Rolling Stone. "The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind. That was the headline.'

During her set, DeGeneres confessed she "didn't know how to be a boss," joking, "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."

The actor also recalled when ABC canceled her sitcom, Ellen, after she publicly came out in 1998. "For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I've been kicked out of show business," she told the audience at her show. "Eventually they're going to kick me out for a third time because I'm mean, old, and gay."

Although she cracked jokes about her talk show cancelation, DeGeneres acknowledged it was "devastating," sharing, "It took a long time for me to want to do anything again."

The final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show aired on May 26, 2022, after a 19-season run. DeGeneres reflected on wrapping up filming in late April of that year in a heartfelt message she published via X.

“When we started this show in 2003, the iPhone didn’t exist. Social Media didn’t exist. Gay marriage wasn’t legal,” she pointed out. "We watched the world change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But whatever was happening, my goal was always for the show to be a place where we could all come together and laugh for an hour."

DeGeneres concluded: "Being invited into your lives has been the greatest privilege of my life and has brought me incredible joy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Next: Watch Ellen DeGeneres Directly Address Toxic Work Environment Allegations in Her Season Premiere Monologue