Comedian and presenter Ellen Degeneres was recently performing a stand-up comedy special in California when she decided to address all the negative press she had been getting for years. After finishing her show, the famous former presenter was accused by several of her staff members and some celebritites of being mean and not treting people with respect. A lot of different accounts and people who felt this attitude from Ellen started coming forward. Ultimately, she felt the pressure was too great and the time was right for her to call it quits after 19 years on the air. Today, Ellen is enjoying her retirement from television and is now back to doing stand-up comedy, where it all started.
Ellen defends herself from ‘mean girl’ criticism
We need to understand that when Ellen Degeneres does stand-up and fills out arenas, she does it specifically for fans who want to be there and listen to her telling jokes, Her type of humor is more directed at audicences who don’t appreciate cursing or the more R-Rated jokes. There is no way she would do a stand-up comedy special at a place like the Comedy Store or any other place where she can potentially get heckled. In thi ssafe setting, Ellen decided to address her critics and said: “I am many things, but I am not mean. I can be demanding, impatient, and tough. I am a strong woman.”
That sounded like something that truly hurt her, it comes from a person who always prided herself of being a good-spirited indivdual. Her entire image revolved around being kind to people, something similar to what Oprah Winfrey did for many years as well. So, getting bashed like that was definitely not in her bingo cards before retiring. Ellen has also stated that she actively avoided any type of place that would criticize her and painted her as a one-dimensional person and a horrible character. Many of these topics will be addressed on her upcoming Netflix stand-up comedy special that is set to be released in the fall.