Ellen DeGeneres is leaning into her “toxic” persona after the once-beloved talk show host found herself out of mainstream media’s good graces.
The Emmy winner, 66, says in her new Netflix special, “For Your Approval,” that she “just can’t” care anymore about what people think of her, per TMZ.
“Proud” of who she is today, the “Finding Nemo” star said she “spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy and … cared far too much what other people think of me
“So, the thought of anyone thinking that I’m mean was devastating to me, and it consumed me for a long time,” admitted DeGeneres. “After a lifetime of caring, I just can’t anymore. So I don’t.”
DeGeneres fell out of favor following a 2020 Buzzfeed exposé in which former staffers of her self-titled talk show said it’d fostered a toxic workplace culture rife with “racism, fear and intimidation.” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” came to an end last year, after two decades and 19 seasons.
In July of this year, DeGeneres said her “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Comedy Tour” would be “the last time you’re going to see me.”
She added: “After my Netflix special, I’m done,” confirming for a curious crowd member that retirement extended to movies and theater.
During the show, which she also brought to the Big Apple, DeGeneres addressed the “mean girl” allegations against her.
DeGeneres contended that while she’s “many things” — including, sometimes, “demanding and impatient and tough” — she is “not mean.”
Billed as “the final comedy special of her historic career,” DeGeneres’ “For Your Approval” dropped Tuesday on Netflix.
