Disgraced former talk show host and lesbian icon Ellen DeGeneres is back in the news thanks to a new show called “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour” beginning this month in Los Angeles, California.
Back in the Spotlight
After a two-year-long break, Ellen returns to the spotlight at the Coronet Theater in West Hollywood with her first stop on a new stand-up comedy tour.
The First Public Appearance
This new show is Ellen’s first public appearance since withdrawing from the entertainment industry due to serious workplace allegations.
Workplace Allegations
If you don’t remember or have never heard the story, several of Ellen’s employees said that the show’s environment was extremely toxic, and the host herself was the target of a slew of allegations.
Verbal Abuse
Thankfully, none of the allegations involved any physical harm or abuse from Ellen, but employees reported a constant fear thanks to Ellen’s “racism, fear, and intimidation” according to BuzzFeed News.
Experiencing the Toxicity
Reflecting on his time on the show, the long-standing DJ said he, too, “did experience and feel the toxicity of the environment.”
The Bigger Scandal
Another reason the show was taken off the air, which strangely received far less media attention, was three of the show’s top executive producers being accused of sexual misconduct.
Taking the Blame
Unfortunately for Ellen, the executive’s misconduct was largely unreported and didn’t seem to grab audiences’ attention, so the majority of the show’s cancellation was blamed on Ellen herself.
A Temporary Pause
Back in 2022, when the show was ending, Ellen described the show’s conclusion not as an end but as a pause, suggesting a temporary pause rather than a permanent goodbye.
A Little Break
When signing off from the show for the last time, Ellen said, “Today is not the end of a relationship, it’s more of a little break.”
Never Coming Back
However, based on what Ellen said in her new stand-up show, this was far from a short break, and her show is never coming back.
A Shifting Opinion
During her recent performance, DeGeneres openly discussed the shift in her perspective on public opinion, which she originally faced with indifference until it started to turn against her.
Not Caring
Ellen said, “I used to say that I didn’t care what other people thought of me,” but she also said that at “ the height of (her) popularity.”
Playing the Stereotype
From her show, it would seem that it was actually much easier not to worry about what people thought of her when most people just thought of her as the stereotypical lesbian with a talk show.
Easier Said Then Done
However, spending the last two years shunned from the public would suggest that she realized it is no longer so simple to not care what people think of you.
A One-Dimensional Character
During the new show, Ellen said, “I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps.“
A Couple character
It would seem that after reflecting on her time and what happened, Ellen feels as though the complexity of her character was lost and her jovial, fun persona is all anyone expected her to be.
Pleasantly Surprised
“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**k yourself,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
Goodbye to the Fans
Though I can appreciate her point, It’s hard to say whether Ellen’s many fans who grew to love her “one-dimensional persona” would have appreciated such a crass final goodbye.
Not Her First Rodeo
However, in the new show, she pointed out that this isn’t the first time she’s faced this kind of controversy.
Navigating Fame
Ellen originally got her fame by starring in a sitcom, and it was on that sitcom that she actually came out of the closet and almost instantly became the most famous lesbian of 90’s America, with all the backlash that comes with it.
Second and Maybe Third
Ellen said, “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.”
Coming Back Again
To say she might be kicked out a third time seems a little presumptuous, considering she hasn’t exactly been accepted back just yet. Still, the point that this isn’t her first time being shunned does give her more credibility that it might be too soon to count Ellen’s staying power out entirely.
The post Guess Who’s Back: But Will She Be Welcome in Hollywood? first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Kathy Hutchins.
