Hundreds of thousands of individuals tune in to The Ellen DeGeneres Present on daily basis to look at Ellen DeGeneres ship hilarious monologues about present occasions, interview celebrities from all walks of life and play video games together with her studio viewers. However the slapstick comedian is not any stranger to controversy.
Twenty years after launching her profession, DeGeneres broke by means of within the Nineteen Nineties together with her ABC sitcom, Ellen. The present was successful — some critics even known as it the “feminine Seinfeld” — however all the pieces got here crashing down on the top of its recognition. In 1997, the star got here out as a lesbian, each in actual life and as her character on TV. On the time, same-sex marriage was not but authorized within the U.S., so the information prompted fairly a stir. Ellen’s rankings plummeted quickly after, and the community finally canceled the present in 1998.
DeGeneres climbed her means again to the highest in 2003 with the launch of her daytime speak present, which went on to win quite a few Emmys and different awards. Nevertheless, in 2020, the host was underneath fireplace as soon as once more. After years of rumors in Hollywood, a number of folks got here ahead to accuse DeGeneres of being imply to her workers and others round her. BuzzFeed Information subsequently printed back-to-back stories detailing former and present Ellen DeGeneres Present staff’ allegations of a poisonous work setting.
The Discovering Nemo star apologized to her workers in an e mail on the time and publicly addressed the scandal in the course of the season 18 premiere of her present later that 12 months.
“I realized that issues occurred that by no means ought to have occurred. I take that very severely,” she mentioned on the air on the time. “I need to say I’m so sorry to the people who find themselves affected. I do know that I’m able of privilege and energy, and I notice that with that comes duty. And I take duty for what occurs at my present. That is The Ellen DeGeneres Present.”
Within the midst of the backlash that DeGeneres confronted within the press and on social media, she obtained help from her movie star associates together with Katy Perry and Kevin Hart.
“They know that Ellen may be robust however settle for that about her and know that it takes numerous work to run a good ship like her present,” a supply completely advised Us Weekly in 2020. “They get it.”
The Significantly…I’m Kidding creator additionally received some love from her spouse, Portia de Rossi, who shared an “I Stand by Ellen” meme by way of Instagram in response to the rumors.
In Might 2021, DeGeneres confirmed that her speak present can be coming to an finish the next 12 months.
“As we speak I’m saying that subsequent season, season 19 goes to be my final,” she mentioned throughout an emotional monologue after breaking the information to The Hollywood Reporter. “The previous 18 years have modified my life. You’ve modified my life. I’m ceaselessly grateful to all of you for watching, for laughing, for dancing — typically crying. This present has been the best expertise of my life and I owe all of it to you.”
Scroll right down to revisit a few of DeGeneres’ most controversial moments through the years.
