Ellen DeGeneres reclaims comedy and addresses toxicity controversy© GettyImages

Ellen DeGeneres is disappearing from the public eye after Netflix special: 'I'm done with fame'

“I learned that things happen here that never should have happened."


Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
JULY 10, 2024 4:31 PM EDT

Ellen DeGeneres has announced her retirement from the entertainment business. The comedian and former host is sharing her thoughts on the allegations regarding a toxic work environment, which caused her to take a step back from her career.

“This is the last time you’re going to see me,” she said to the audience in San Francisco during her farewell tour 'Ellen's Last Stand... Up.' “After my Netflix special, I’m done," she explained. Ellen previously announced that she is addressing the scandal in her upcoming special. 

“To answer the questions everyone is asking me, yes, I’m going to talk about it," she said in a statement. She also responded to a question about the reprisal of her fan-favorite role as Dory from Pixar’s ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Finding Dory.'

© Getty Images

“No, I’m going bye-bye, remember," she assured her fans. “[I] can be demanding and impatient and tough. I am a strong woman. I am many things, but I am not mean,” she previously said about the controversy. “I used to say, ‘I don’t care what people say about me.’ Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity.”

“I learned that things happen here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected," Ellen said at the time, following 18 successful seasons of her television show. 

“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged — and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” she said to The Hollywood Reporter.