Ellen DeGeneres has taken her final bow as a comedian and public figure. The 66-year-old ended her long-running eponymous talk show in 2022 after allegations of a toxic workplace came to light.
Now, she's on her farewell journey with the newly released Netflix special Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, a filmed presentation of one of her stand-up shows in August at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre.
While the special promised an in-depth look inside the controversy that led to her decline from the top of ratings charts and her eventual exit from show business, the comedian and actress also utilized it as a way to share some more personal insight into her life.
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Cosmetic surgery
At the top of the show, Ellen talked about not caring what people thought of her and getting cosmetic surgery to enhance her appearance as a means of combating that.
"I used to say that I didn't care what other people thought of me. I realize now, looking back, I said that at the height of my popularity…If I look older than when you saw me last, it's because I'm older than when you saw me last."
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She also admitted that she'd stopped getting botox and filler. "And also, I stopped doing Botox and filler…I used to do Botox back when I didn't care what other people thought of me."
Health battles
On the special, Ellen admitted that she'd been dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and arthritis. "It's funny, I've never thought of myself as obsessive. I think of myself as careful, and everyone else careless and out of control."
"I have ADD, and I blame the talk show for that because for 19 years, I was talking to people in five-minute segments," she joked. "My ADD makes it really hard for me to sit down and focus on anything at all."
Opening up about the arthritis, she added: "I just had excruciating pain one day, and I thought I tore a ligament or something. I got the MRI, and they're, like, 'No, it's just arthritis.' I said, 'How'd I get that?' He goes, 'It just happens at your age.'"
Her mom Betty's struggle
Ellen also admitted that her beloved mom Betty, who made frequent appearances on her talk show, had been diagnosed with dementia and was living in a care facility.
"My mother has dementia now, and, um… which is a horrible disease," she shared. "And so many people are dealing with it right now. My mother is lucky in the sense that she doesn't know she has it."
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"So she's actually happy. She's really happy. She's in a really nice place. I have her in, uh… a facility that… They have a lot of activities to keep them stimulated."
The journey of The Ellen DeGeneres Show's staff
The comedian spoke fondly about her talk show, which ran from 2003 until 2022, and even revealed that despite the allegations of workplace harassment, she was proud of her colleagues and everything she'd accomplished while on the air.
"I loved that show. I loved everything about that show. It was a family to me," she said, even revealing that several of her former staff members came out during their time working with her.
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"Here's something sweet. Sixteen people who worked there started out straight, and by the time they left, were gay," she said, then joking: "You don't see Jimmy Kimmel doing those kind of numbers."
Being "mean"
As for the biggest topic of concern, Ellen never directly addresses specific allegations or claims head on, generally just discussing being branded "mean" and "the most hated person in America" while speaking of the kindness she showed on and off screen.
"It was quite a shock to me because for 17 years, there were all these polls basically saying I was one of the most trusted people in the country," she admitted. "I was in therapy for a while trying to deal with all the hatred coming at me, and it was not a common situation for a therapist to deal with."
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While admitting to being an "immature" boss, she called out standards for women in positions of power vs men, and also revealed that the decision to end the show had been made "years" before the allegations were made public.
