Ellen DeGeneres opens up about being ‘kicked out of show business’ after toxic workplace claims

Ellen DeGeneres has spoken out for the first time since her iconic talk show came to a controversial end, saying she's been 'kicked out of show business'.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ran for 19 years and during its time, it welcomed hundreds of famous faces - such as the Kardashian family, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Justin Bieber - and was very much loved across the US and the rest of the world.

But it came to a sudden end in May 2022 following claims made that the workplace was 'toxic' for staff behind the scenes.

There were allegations of racism, sexual misconduct and intimidation at the hands of three executive producers who worked on the show.

Despite the producers being fired, and Ellen claiming not to have known anything about the allegations, the reputation of the show was irreparable.

Ellen has been lying low since the fallout, dabbling occasionally in projects such as the Discovery Channel's documentary, Saving the Gorillas: Ellen’s Next Adventure.

But the comedian has now embarked on her new comedy tour, titled Ellen's Last Stand... Up Tour, which kicked earlier this week in Los Angeles.

And it seems she decided to use her first gig to address the controversy of The Ellen Show ending.

Ellen Degeneres' show came to an end in 2022 after 19 years. (Brooks Kraft/Getty Images)

“Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business. There’s no mean people in show business," Ellen said to the audience in Hollywood, as reported by Rolling Stone.

“I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps. 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.”

She also joked in her set: “I didn’t go to business school. I went to Charlie’s Chuckle Hutt.

“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 if that meant I should be in charge.”

She then added: “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.”

This was likely in reference to her 1990’s sitcom, which was canceled after she announced to the world that she was gay.

The comedian has recently embarked on a new comedy tour. (The Ellen DeGeneres Show)

Talking about the impact it has all had on her as a person, she said to the audience: “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.”

The 66-year-old also talked about the process of aging and how that is affecting her, adding that she finds herself thinking about existential subjects like time and the making of the universe.

Her doctor recently told her that she was suffering from osteoporosis and arthritis.

And when asked about whether dancing helped her feel at all more positive, she replied: “No. It’s hard to dance when you’re crying.

“But I am dancing now.”