What we learned from Ellen DeGeneres’s Netflix special

Ellen DeGeneres’s characteristics before 2020 were well known: dancing fiend, prankster, lesbian, comedian. She ended every episode of her popular daytime talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” asking her audience to be kind to one another, so when reports alleged a toxic work environment on set, as well as allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by producers, fans and casual EllenTube watchers alike were shocked. Her breakout role was in prime time on ABC’s “Ellen,” where she changed ’90s TV by coming out as a lesbian herself and having her character come out, as well. That is until 2003, when she made her Hollywood return as host for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Now, she’s telling her story of getting “kicked out of show business” for being “mean” in her Netflix special “For Your Approval,” which was filmed at Minneapolis’s Orpheum Theatre in August. Advertisement “They lay an egg every day, and as someone who once hosted a daily talk show, I can really appreciate that,” DeGeneres said to applause. She laments that it wasn’t a typical situation for her therapist, with the doctor once asking, “Ellen, where do you get this idea that everyone hates you?” To which the comic replied, “Well, the New York Times, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly.” Skip to end of carousel The Style section Style is where The Washington Post explains what’s happening on the front lines of culture — including the arts, media, social trends, politics and yes, fashion — with wit, personality and deep reporting. To subscribe to the Style Memo newsletter, click here End of carousel How does she look back at ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ now? The comedian has only fond memories of her canceled program, saying that she “loved” the show and everything about it. “It was a family to me,” she states wistfully. DeGeneres concedes that she was an immature leader, but says she was so because she never wanted to be a boss: “I didn’t go to business school. She relates the situation to the McDonald’s mascot by saying, “I don’t think Ronald McDonald’s the CEO of McDonald’s.” She also claims that everything she knew about being a boss stemmed from movies, but that the media doesn’t show women leading in the same way men do. Advertisement The tone of the show caused her to “became a brand, a one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced every day up steps,” she says. “Had I ended my show by saying ‘go f— yourselves,’ people would have been pleasantly surprised to find out I’m kind,” she claims. “We have all these unwritten rules, based on gender, of acceptable behavior, of who we’re allowed to be, how we’re allowed to act. “For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I’ve been kicked out of show business.” “They say the truth will set you free, and it did: I was free for three years. DeGeneres equates her being “kicked out” of Hollywood for allegations of a toxic workplace to when she was blacklisted in the ’90s for coming out as a lesbian on “Ellen” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Her explanation for the public’s swift abandonment is that her management style did not fit with the rules of how a woman should lead. This is allegedly the end of DeGeneres’s time on the silver screen (as “Finding Nemo’s” Dory) and the TV screen, a place where you’ve been able to find her for three decades. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/2024/09/24/ellen-degeneres-netflix-special/