Ellen DeGeneres Reopens Wounds on 'Unpleasant Way' Her Talkshow Ended

Ellen DeGeneres sheds light on some issues she's faced the past few years at Cheltenham's Everyman theatre last Sunday. She spoke candidly about the scandal that warranted the end of her daytime talk show Ellen in 2022, among other things. Another big reveal was her confirmation of relocating to the UK due to Donald Trump's re-election as US President.

She recently wrapped up her final comedy tour in the US just last year. This made for the comedian's first public appearance since leaving the country.

Aside from 19 seasons of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she's known for her trailblazing work in television and LGBTQ+ representation. However, public backlash led to her becoming a pariah instead of a pioneer. Here's what she had to say about navigating through the fallout and why she moved to the UK.

'Kicked Out Of Show Business' For Being 'Mean'

Back in 2020, DeGeneres was bombarded with allegations from former employees about how she fostered a toxic work environment. An anonymous tip told BuzzFeed News that the 'be kind' bullshit only happens when the cameras are on.

The publication cited particularly insidious behaviour at work behind the scenes. Employees were said to have experienced racism, fear, and intimidation.

While DeGeneres managed to issue an apology to the staff and audience, the damage had been done. An internal investigation by Warner translated into the departure of three executives. On top of this, the show never recovered and had declining ratings.

During her 2024 US tour, DeGeneres' only comment was that she was 'kicked out of show business' for being 'mean.' She proceeded to make similar comments on stage last Sunday.

'No matter what, any article that came up, it was like, "She's mean,"' said DeGeneres. 'How do I deal with this without sounding like a victim or "poor me" or complaining? But I wanted to address it,' she added.

DeGeneres believes how she acted was misconstrued as a 'direct' and 'very blunt' person. She ended her comment noting that it was 'certainly an unpleasant way to end' her talk show.

How Trump's Re-election Cemented Her Stay in the UK

During the event, broadcaster Richard Bacon asked DeGeneres if her move to the UK was relative to Trump's re-election. She confirmed this and went into detail about why she stayed.

'We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, "He got in." And we're like, "We're staying here."'

DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, moved to a house in the Cotswolds in 2024. At the time, it was speculated that her relocation was permanent. This wasn't confirmed by the former talk show host until now.

With the context of Trump's victory, DeGeneres expressed concern for LGBTQ+ rights in the US. 'The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage,' she said.

This is a reference to immense support from southern Baptists to endorse a resolution overturning same-sex marriage in the US.

'They're trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it,' she added. DeGeneres then hinted that she and her wife might remarry should their 'resolution' move forward.

'I wish we were at a place where it wasn't scary for people to be who they are,' she continued. 'I wish that we lived in a society where everybody could accept other people and their differences. So until we're there, I think there's a hard place to say we have huge progress.'