Ellen DeGeneres has seemingly announced her retirement, revealing that she will be “done” with being in the public eye after her Netflix special comes out later this year.
The 66-year-old former talk show host shared an update about her future in show business at her comedy show: Last Stand... Up Tour, which will be filmed for the streaming service.
During the Q&A section of the show, held at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, one audience member asked DeGeneres if she would return to films after the tour concluded, or if she would like to do theatre on Broadway.
“Um, no,” the comic responded, according to SFGate. “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
DeGeneres has been addressing the controversial cancellation of her eponymous daytime talk show at her stand-up shows.
In 2020, the TV host was accused of perpetuating a "toxic work environment" behind the scenes of her show, which debuted on September 8, 2003.
According to Variety, some employees alleged racism, sexual misconduct, and intimidation at the hands of executive producers. There were also allegations that several workers feared taking medical leave for risk of penalization, and faced retribution for raising complaints.
DeGeneres apologized at the time, saying: "I’m in a position of privilege and power and… I take responsibility for what happens at my show."
The show never recovered from the scandal and ended its 19-year run in May 2022.
DeGeneres asserted at her stand-up show that she can be "demanding and impatient and tough,” because she's "a strong woman".
She explained that while she's "many things," she's not "mean," clarifying that it wasn't her intent to berate her former employees even if sometimes it came off that way, per SFGate.
The Daytime Emmy Award winner also opened up about how the cancellation affected her, stating that she now realizes her sensitivity.
“I used to say, ‘I don’t care what people say about me,’” she confessed, per PEOPLE. “Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity,” quipping: "Next time, I’ll be kicked out for being old. Old, gay, and mean - the triple crown."
DeGeneres canceled four forthcoming show dates just one month after kicking off the stand-up tour. No further information was provided for the cancellation besides an alert from Ticketmaster.
DeGeneres' Netflix special is set to premiere later this year.
