Ellen DeGeneres jokes she needed a different mantra than 'be kind' to save reputation
Ellen DeGeneres has joked her reputation would be safe if she hadn't ended every episode of her talk show telling people to "be kind to one another".
Ellen DeGeneres has joked she shouldn't have told people to "be kind to one another".
The 66-year-old comedian's longrunning daytime talk show came under fire in 2020 over allegations of a toxic workplace before concluding two years later after 19 seasons, and she has addressed the controversy in a trailer for her second - and final - Netflix stand-up special.
In footage from her show 'For Your Approval', she quipped: "The ‘Be Kind’ girl wasn’t kind, that was the headline.
“Here’s the problem, I’m a comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, ‘Be kind to one another.’
"Had I ended the show by saying, ‘Go f*** yourselves,’ people would have been pleasantly surprised to find out I’m kind.”
The special - which will be available to stream on September 24 - marks her first stand-up performance in six years, while 2018's 'Relatable' was her first in 15.
She previously promised that the upcoming show would reflect on the scandal, and in the trailer she joked she has been "kicked out of show business".
She teased: "Well, let me catch up on what’s been going on with me since you saw me last. I decided to take up gardening. I got chickens.
"Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business.”
It was previously reported that Ellen will be stepping out of the limelight following the stand-up show, which was filmed earlier this year.
Speaking to the audience at her show in Santa Rosa, California, she said when asked where fans can see her next, and replied: "Um, no.
"This is the last time you're going to see me. After my Netflix special, I'm done."
Ellen recently vowed to speak out on the way in which her long-running programme ended after its success was marred by accusations of toxic behaviour by several executives in 2020, who were subsequently let go.
She said in a statement: "To answer the questions everyone is asking me- Yes, I'm going to talk about it.
"Yes this is my last special. Yes, Portia really is that pretty in real life."
Another friend of Ellen's claimed to the outlet that the 'Finding Nemo' star - who has been married to model Portia de Rossi since 2008 - wants to discuss all the ups and downs of her life so far.
They said: "Ellen is a comedian. They all have their peccadillos, but this is her life and she wants to talk about everything she went through and where she is now in her life, sharing who she is.
“Look at Jerry Seinfeld, he does stand-up all the time. Why shouldn’t she get back on stage?”
