Ellen DeGeneres Gets Standing Ovation at Comeback Comedy Tour After Being ‘Canceled’ in Hollywood

Ellen DeGeneres is feeling the love! Although she joked about being kicked out of Hollywood for “being mean,” the long time television star received major praise from fans during her comeback comedy tour.

The former talk show host, 66, was welcomed by a standing ovation during Ellen’s Last Stand … Up at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on August 1.

Ellen announced Ellen’s Last Stand … Up, a 27-show North American run that started in May, and teased that it would be the “final opportunity” to see her during her “last curtain call.” During the set, the Finding Nemo star got candid and opened up about the isolation she faced when she was kicked out of Hollywood for “being mean.”

The Seriously … I’m Kidding author got deeper about her behavior during her talk show run and said she often jokingly “scared people constantly” on set, which she later realized could come off as “terrorizing” them. Ellen brought up a specific instance surrounding an employee named Amber and her fear of snakes. “So sometimes before they come into my office, we would hide rubber snakes in a panel in the ceiling and I had a button that I could push to leave that drop out on top,” she told the audience. “Again, hearing myself say this … ”

She also recalled reading headlines that she was the “most hated person in America” after years of previously being the celebrity that fans “most want to babysit” their child. The comedian turned to professional help to combat the hate, to which her therapist encouraged her to “avoid all media.”

Ellen told the audience that she avoided looking at the news, but her friends often caught her off guard with texts like “Thinking of you.” This sparked her curiosity about what was being said about her in the media.

During her encore speech, the Louisiana native confessed she hadn’t expected to return to comedy after the drama, as she didn’t believe she’d be “able to talk about what happened.” She recognized the experience as “painful and sad,” admitting it caused her to lose her “sense of humor.”

Ellen wrapped up her set by acknowledging she began to believe all the negative headlines before ultimately deciding not to dwell on what was being said about her.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show star announced her return to the comedy circuit years after announcing her decision to end her infamous talk show in 2021, following 19 seasons on air.

The cancelation followed a July 2020 BuzzFeed News report in which current and former employees shared negative experiences on set, including being penalized for taking medical leave, instances of racial microaggressions, and a fear of retribution for raising complaints.

“I really didn’t understand it; I still don’t understand it,” Ellen responded to the backlash during an appearance on the Today show in May 2021. “It was too orchestrated; it was too coordinated.”

Ellen admitted she was regretful of the situation and “wished” someone would’ve taken her aside and said, “Hey, there’s something you need to be aware of.”

“For me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is and what a happy place this is,” she concluded.