Ellen DeGeneres Says She's 'Done' With Public After Netflix Special

Ellen DeGeneres joked about her cancelation during a recent stand-up show in Santa Rosa

By Anna Rumer

Ellen DeGeneres is "done" with the public after her upcoming Netflix special. The comedian, 66, joked about her eponymous talk show's cancellation and shared her plans to retreat from the spotlight once more during a three-night stand-up show in Santa Rosa last week.

DeGeneres didn't shy away from addressing the backlash she faced in 2020 over allegations that she fostered a toxic work environment on the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. While on stage at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts for her Ellen's Last Stand...Up tour, the performer told the audience, "Let me catch you up on what's been going on with me since you last saw me. I got chickens. Oh yeah, and I got kicked out of show business for being mean."

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(Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC via Getty Images)

"I used to say, 'I don't care what people say about me,'" she continued, as per SFGate. "Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity." The performer joked, "Next time, I'll be kicked out for being old. Old, gay and mean, the triple crown."

DeGeneres did address the allegations more directly elsewhere in the show, saying, "I can be demanding and impatient and tough. I am a strong woman. I am many things, but I am not mean." She reportedly said that because she did not intend to be mean, she wasn't a mean person, even if it was interpreted that way sometimes.

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During the audience Q&A segment, DeGeneres spoke candidly about her career in show business, giving a resolute "no" to a fan who asked, "Will we see you on Broadway or movies?" DeGeneres answered, "This is the last time you're going to see me. After my Netflix special, I'm done." When another fan begged her to reprise her role as Pixar's Dory in the future, she responded bluntly, "No, I'm going bye-bye, remember?"

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(Photo: MICHAEL ROZMAN & SARAH HAAS/WARNER BROS.)

DeGeneres' Netflix special is set to premiere later this year. Earlier this month, DeGeneres canceled four of her upcoming performance dates just a month after kicking off the stand-up tour.  "Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event," a message from Ticketmaster sent to fans read. Those who purchased tickets to the event were being automatically issued refunds. The comedian has not addressed the canceled dates at this time.

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