Ellen DeGeneres Might Be Coming Out of Retirement — But There's a Catch
Ellen DeGeneres finally confirmed that she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, left the United States because of Donald Trump. She likes the U.K. so much that she proclaimed, “Everything here is just better,” — but there is one thing she misses.
In a live event with broadcaster Richard Bacon at the Everyman Theatre, the 67-year-old comedian addressed her Hollywood career and her reported retirement. DeGeneres ended her show in May 2022 after allegations of bullying, racism, and sexual harassment by three of her producers on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She was also accused of leading a “toxic work culture” in an explosive BuzzFeed News exposé in July 2020.
Calling it “an unpleasant way to end” her daytime show, DeGeneres explained, per the BBC. “I don’t think I can say anything that’s ever going to get rid of that [reputation] or dispel it, which is hurtful to me. I hate it. I hate that people think that I’m that because I know who I am and I know that I’m an empathetic, compassionate person.”
Still, she thinks about ways she could be creative again, even though it feels like technology has changed the way people watch TV.
“I mean, I wish it did, because I would do the same thing here. I would love to do that again, but I just feel like people are watching on their phones, or people aren’t really paying attention as much to televisions, because we’re so inundated with information and entertainment,” she added.
How she will return to the entertainment industry is uncertain right now, but she wants “to have fun” and “do something.” DeGeneres joked, “I do like my chickens, but I’m a little bit bored.”
The Ellen star’s last big project was her 2024 Netflix comedy special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval. She addressed the 2020 controversy in the stand-up event.
“No matter what, any article that came up, it was like, ‘She’s mean’, and it’s like, how do I deal with this without sounding like a victim or ‘poor me’ or complaining? But I wanted to address it,” she said. “It’s as simple as, I’m a direct person, and I’m very blunt, and I guess sometimes that means that… I’m mean?”
DeGeneres may have a hard time changing that narrative, but perhaps her new life in the U.K. is offering her more perspective on her past and her possible Hollywood comeback.
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