TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres is the star of a new Netflix stand-up special, For Your Approval, in which she confronts the rumours of workplace bullying which surrounded her in 2020.
The 66-year-old, who presented The Ellen DeGeneres between 2003–2022, won 33 Daytime Emmy awards for the talkshow.
In July 2020, 10 former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show accused DeGeneres of creating a 'toxic' atmosphere on set, which included 'racism, fear, and intimidation.'
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This included her failing to act upon suggestions of executives sexually harassing female employees, 'making racist micro-aggressions' to or about employees of colour, firing people for using medical and bereavement leave, and replacing her crew with non-union workers during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Warning: this trailer features inappropriate language that may not be suitable for some viewers:
In July this year, during a standup show, DeGeneres told the crowd: "Let me catch you up on what’s been going on with me since you last saw me. I got chickens. Oh yeah, and I got kicked out of show business for being mean.”
She later added: "This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
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Now, the said Netflix special has dropped - and the former host has had her say on the backlash.
Scenes show DeGeneres saying: "When you’re a public figure, you’re open to everyone’s interpretation. And I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that, ‘What other people think of me is none of my business.’ Because people will say all kinds of things and you have no control over that. But you know the truth and that’s all that matters."
She added: "If they like you, you’re in, and if they don’t, you’re out. And I’ve spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy and I’ve 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.
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“After a lifetime of caring, I just can’t anymore. So I don’t.”
DeGeneres concluded: "But if I’m being honest… and I have a choice of people remembering me as someone who was mean or someone who was beloved. Be-lov-ed? Beloved? Beloved. Someone who is beloved? I choose that.”
Following the accusations in 2020, which also led to three top producers: Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman being fired, DeGeneres issued a public apology to her staff.
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She said: "On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.
"Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again."
For Your Approval is now streaming on Netflix.
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film, Entertainment, US News
Kya Buller