What happened to Ellen DeGeneres after her downfall? Accusations of a toxic workplace culture and mistreatment of Taylor Swift and Mariah Carey ended her show – but she’ll be back on Netflix soon

Oct 16 , 2024

What happened to Ellen DeGeneres after her downfall? Photo: @ellendegeneres/Instagram

It’s been more than 2 years since Ellen DeGeneres laughed and cried over the last episode of her long-running talk show, with appearances from Billie Eilish, Pink and Jennifer Aniston

Katy Perry, Kris Jenner and DeGeneres’ wife Portia de Rossi stood by her, and she’s just finished a run of shows called The Last Stand … Up Tour, which will air on Netflix – so is she back?

In May 2022, Ellen DeGeneres hosted the last episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. After segments with Billie Eilish, Pink and Jennifer Aniston, the comedian ended with a tearful monologue.

Ellen DeGeneres hugs the late Stephen “Twitch” Boss during the final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Photo: @icecreamconvos_/Instagram

“To all of you who have watched this show and supported me, thank you so much for this platform,” she said. “I hope that what I’ve been able to do in the last 19 years has made you happy and that I was able to take a little bit of pain away from a bad day.”

So where did everything go wrong, which of DeGeneres’ celebrity friends stood by her, and is she finally making a comeback?

Why was The Ellen DeGeneres Show cancelled?

Ellen DeGeneres during the taping of her final show in May 2022. Photo: @ellendegeneres/Instagram

In July 2020, Buzzfeed published a series of stories in which employees on The Ellen DeGeneres Show alleged racism, sexual misconduct and intimidation at the hands of executive producers. Staff told the outlet that DeGeneres’ “be kind” mantra on the programme was “all for show”.

DeGeneres addressed the allegations soon after, saying, “I am so sorry to the people that were affected … I take responsibility for what happens at my show.” In the end though, her apology didn’t prevent the chatter about her being “out of touch” from reaching a tipping point.

Ellen DeGeneres was labelled mean by fellow celebrities

Ellen DeGeneres once spoke about Mariah Carey’s pregnancy on her show when the singer wasn’t ready to share the news. Photo: @chronologicalmariah/Instagram

Four months before the Buzzfeed exposé, comedian Kevin T. Porter called DeGeneres “notoriously one of the meanest people alive” in a Twitter thread that quickly went viral for the number of responses it garnered from those who’d dealt with her.