Ellen DeGeneres is ready to confront the elephant in the room. In her upcoming and final standup special on Netflix, the acclaimed comedian will address the toxic workplace allegations that surrounded The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2020.
In a press release announcing the special, DeGeneres hinted at her willingness to tackle the difficult topic head-on. “To answer the questions everyone is asking me — Yes, I’m going to talk about it,” she said. “Yes, this is my last special. Yes, Portia really is that pretty in real life.”
Scheduled for release later this year, the special marks DeGeneres’ second collaboration with Netflix, following her 2018 special, Relatable. Additionally, the comedian will embark on a stand-up tour titled Ellen’s Last Stand…Up, beginning with a performance in San Diego on June 19.
The workplace allegations first surfaced in March 2020, with social media users sharing troubling stories of DeGeneres’ behavior as a boss. These claims gained further traction when BuzzFeed News published reports detailing accounts from former and current employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show about experiencing racist microaggressions and intimidation in the workplace.
In response to these allegations, DeGeneres’ executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner issued a statement expressing their regret. “We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us. For the record, the day-to-day responsibility of The Ellen Show is completely on us. We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better.”
As anticipation builds for her final special, audiences can expect DeGeneres to bring her signature humor and honesty to the stage, offering her perspective on the controversy that marked the later years of her career.
