‘I AM NOT MEAN’

Ellen DeGeneres Says She’s ‘Done’ With Fame After Netflix Special Drops

But the former daytime host defended herself at a recent stop on her standup tour.

Ellen DeGeneres is leaving the building. During a recent stop in San Francisco on her tour, the appropriately titled Ellen’s Last Stand… Up, the former daytime talk show host told the audience that she was gearing up to tap out of Hollywood. “This is the last time you’re going to see me,” she said during the Q&A portion of the show, according to SFGATE. “After my Netflix special, I’m done.” The special, announced in May, will hit the streamer later this year. DeGeneres’ final hurrah comes two years after The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended its storied two-decade run in a haze of so-called “Mean-Too” allegations, with staffers alleging that the pioneering comedian created a toxic work environment. She apologized in July 2020. In San Francisco, she noted that this marks the second time she’s been booted from show business—the first being back in 1997, when she came out as gay. “Next time, I’ll be kicked out for being old. Old, gay and mean, the triple crown,” she joked. Describing herself as “demanding and impatient and tough” and “a strong women,” DeGeneres ultimately refuted the claims that savaged her career. “I am many thing, but I am not mean,” she told the crowd.