{"id":248482,"date":"2021-05-13T03:26:31","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T00:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-ellen-degeneres-spectacular-downfall-happened\/"},"modified":"2021-05-13T03:26:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T00:26:31","slug":"how-ellen-degeneres-spectacular-downfall-happened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-ellen-degeneres-spectacular-downfall-happened\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Ellen DeGeneres’ spectacular downfall happened"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#How Ellen DeGeneres’ spectacular downfall happ<\/a>ened<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

She broke barriers. Then she broke her own career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, embattled comedia<\/a>n Ellen DeGeneres\u00a0confirmed that she\u2019ll end her eponymous talk show after next season.<\/p>\n

The writing was already on the wall \u2014 her contract was up anyway in 2022, a source told The Post. DeGeneres\u2019 official reason for her exit is that her show is \u201cjust not a challenge anymore.\u201d But for months she\u2019s been dogged by scandal and \u201cEllen\u201d has reportedly seen a dip<\/a> in its ratings and its ability to book A-list guests. <\/p>\n

DeGeneres, 63, has become a flashpoint for controversy ever since allegations of \u201cEllen\u201d having a \u201ctoxic workplace environment\u201d behind the scenes broke last summer \u2014 contrasting with her affable public image and her catchphrase, \u201cbe kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres, with her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, plans to end her show after next season.<\/figcaption>
Alamy Stock Photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The reporting \u2014 which included allegations about sexual misconduct<\/a> and harassment from producers \u2014 resulted in an investigation from WarnerMedia and three producers getting ousted<\/a> from the show. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat \u2018be kind\u2019 bullsh\u2013t only happens when the cameras are on. It\u2019s all for show,\u201d one former employee told Buzzfeed News<\/a> in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DeGeneres declined to comment on this article, but in September, she addressed the controversy on-air in her first Season 18 monologue<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation,\u201d she said. \u201cI take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected\u2026 I take responsibility for what happens at my show.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeGeneres has a busy slate aside from \u201cThe Ellen DeGeneres Show,\u201d producing \u201cEllen\u2019s Game<\/a> of Games\u201d and \u201cThe Masked Dancer\u201d on NBC, \u201cEllen\u2019s Next Great Designer\u201d on HBO Max, and \u201cEndangered\u201d on Discovery+, among others. It remains to be seen how the end of \u201cEllen\u201d will impact the rest of her career \u2014 but her tarnished public image is a far cry from where she started.<\/p>\n

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\"Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres, on \u201cThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson\u201d in 1987, started her career as a stand-up comic in the 1980s.<\/figcaption>
NBCUniversal via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

DeGeneres first rose to prominence on the stand-up comedy scene in the 1980s, with a breakthrough 1986 appearance on \u201cThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.\u201d Her jokes were broad crowd-pleasers such as<\/a>, \u201cMy grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She\u2019s 97 today and we don\u2019t know where the hell she is.\u201d<\/p>\n

She became a star with her sitcom \u201cEllen,\u201d which aired from 1994-1998. On \u201cThe Puppy Episode\u201d in Season 4, which aired on April 30, 1997, she made history by coming out as gay on TV.\u00a0She also appeared on the cover of Time and did specials with Oprah and Diane Sawyer. <\/p>\n

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\"Ellen
DeGeneres made history in 1997 by coming out on her TV show.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Her reason for coming out on TV was to free herself of \u201cshame\u201d she said in 2017.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cI did some work on myself, some deep soul-searching, and realized I was really carrying around a lot of shame \u2026 No matter how many times I tried to rationalize that I didn\u2019t need anyone to know, I knew that it was a secret. And I knew that there was a possibility that people would hate me for the simple fact that no matter how much they loved my comedy or my show, but they might hate me if they knew I was gay. It became more important to me than my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

She saw an easy transition for her character, Ellen Morgan, to realize that she was gay, too, \u201cwhich was why her relationships with men weren\u2019t working out,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

It was a game-changer for Hollywood and for the LGBTQ community \u2014 but it was hardly smooth sailing from there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although a whopping 42 million people tuned in and \u201cThe Puppy Episode\u201d earned an Emmy and Peabody award, ABC axed the show in 1998.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The show ended] because I came out,\u201d DeGeneres told Dax Shepard\u2019s \u201cArmchair Expert\u201d<\/a> podcast in 2018. \u201cThis is a long, long story \u2014 but they really didn\u2019t want me to come out. They finally let me come out, and it was a huge success the night of. It was huge. It was celebrated \u2026 and then they just stopped promoting it because everybody was scared. We were losing sponsors, so they were just acting like, \u2018We\u2019re just letting it glide. We\u2019re not going to touch it.\u2019 I got no more advertising, I got no more promotion. So they canceled it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also alleged <\/a>that fellow LGBTQ celebs such as Elton John told her to \u201cshut up already\u201d about being gay in the aftermath. \u201cPeople were making fun of me. I was really depressed,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2001, DeGeneres followed it up with short-lived CBS sitcom \u201cThe Ellen Show,\u201d that was critically panned and canceled after just 13 episodes.\u00a0\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure if I was going to work again,\u201d DeGeneres told Out<\/a> in 2016 about that phase of her career. \u201cI was at rock bottom and out of money, with no work in sight. But one step at a time, it gets better.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeGeneres was in the odd position of having reached critical and commercial success \u2014 but still being a relative underdog in the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all kinds of other lessons of learning what it\u2019s like to not be loved and to be the butt of everybody\u2019s joke on television and in magazines,\u201d DeGeneres told Oprah Winfrey<\/a> in 2015. \u201cI had to learn what that feels like to not let things like that get to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the cancellation of \u201cEllen\u201d and the failure of \u201cThe Ellen Show,\u201d she found her footing in 2003 with the launch of \u201cThe Ellen DeGeneres Show\u201d and her role voicing the ditzy cartoon fish Dory, in Pixar hit \u201cFinding Nemo.\u201d Dory\u2019s slogan, \u201cjust keep swimming,\u201d was both literal for the character and figurative about persevering through life\u2019s difficulties \u2014 which fit DeGeneres\u2019 image as a celeb with hard-won success and America\u2019s de-facto fun aunt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, it wasn\u2019t a seamless leap to \u201cThe Ellen DeGeneres Show.\u201d Aided by Warner Bros. exec\u00a0Jim Paratore, she took it on tour to convince station managers. <\/p>\n

\u201cJim was a straight, white man, and he loved me, and he could not believe the resistance from all these station managers who didn\u2019t want to buy my show,\u201d DeGeneres told the Telegraph<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said: she\u2019s a gay woman, and the women at home watching daytime TV are straight housewives with kids \u2013 what does she have in common with them? So Jim said: we\u2019re going on tour \u2013 you\u2019re going to show them who you are. So I had to go from city to city. We would make these men come out and sit in the audience. They were looking around and seeing what kind of audience I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also began a relationship with \u201cArrested Development\u201d star Portia de Rossi in 2004, and they tied the knot in 2008. <\/p>\n

\"Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres married actor Portia de Rossi in 2008 after dating for several years. <\/figcaption>
FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DeGeneres\u2019 pioneering path for the LGBTQ community and her cheerful and down-to-earth image earned mass public goodwill that lasted for two decades.\u00a0 She became the queen of inoffensive and wholesome comedy, with material that families can watch together without worrying about salacious comments or scathing zingers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She also served as a guest judge on \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d in 2010, racked up a whopping 30 Emmys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom (awarded in 2016). <\/p>\n

She was frequently tapped to host awards shows such as the Grammys (in 1996 and 1997), the Oscars ( 2007 and 2014), and the Emmys (in 2001 and 2005) following Hurricane Katrina, where she was given the thankless task of creating a festive atmosphere in the wake of national tragedy.\u00a0As a host, DeGeneres was a safe choice \u2014 the opposite of industry colleagues such as Ricky Gervais, who\u2019s known for gleefully lobbing insults.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her public image is encapsulated in her most memorable Oscars moment: it wasn\u2019t a cutting joke about Leonardo DiCaprio\u2019s dating life \u2014 instead, it\u2019s a huge group selfie of A-listers.\u00a0Cute, but not exactly scathing stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once \u201cThe Ellen DeGeneres Show\u201d became a pop culture staple, her audience was primarily comprised of women in the \u201cmom\u201d demographic.\u00a0For the most part, her celeb interviews didn\u2019t reveal juicy information \u2014 they went viral for harmlessly goofy oddities such as Kristen Bell\u2019s obsession with sloths<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres, dancing with former first lady Michelle Obama, addressed allegations of a hostile workplace in September. <\/figcaption>
Alamy Stock Photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, there were hints along the way that DeGeneres wasn\u2019t practicing what she preached with her \u201cbe kind\u201d mantra.\u00a0For instance, in 2008, when Mariah Carey appeared on \u201cEllen,\u201d DeGeneres pressured the pop star into disclosing her pregnancy<\/a> on TV.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe you did this to me Ellen\u2026 This is peer pressure,\u201d Carey said on-screen, when DeGeneres offered her Champagne. After Carey pretended to take a sip, DeGeneres called out, \u201cYou\u2019re pregnant!\u201d<\/p>\n

Tragically, Carey ended up having a miscarriage. Her twins with ex-husband Nick Cannon were born in 2011.\u00a0\u201cI was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say,\u201d Carey told Vulture<\/a> in August, reflecting on her \u201cEllen\u201d appearance. \u201cAnd I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath. I wasn\u2019t ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage. I don\u2019t want to throw anyone that\u2019s already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didn\u2019t enjoy that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEllen\u201d has attracted cream-of-the-crop A-listers who knew they\u2019d be treated with kid gloves, but aside from Carey\u2019s interview, there have still been stray awkward moments such as a 2019 appearance from Dakota Johnson, in which DeGeneres accused Johnson of not inviting her to her birthday party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, no, that\u2019s not the truth, Ellen,\u201d Johnson said.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres, with Dakota Johnson, wasn\u2019t known for asking celebrity guests tough questions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even before \u201cEllen\u201d was formally investigated for its toxic workplace environment, rumors about DeGeneres\u2019 behavior started flying in March of 2020, thanks to a viral Twitter thread <\/a>from comedian Kevin T. Porter asking people to respond \u201cwith the most insane stories you\u2019ve heard about Ellen being mean.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

His replies were flooded with anecdotes such as one from Chris Farah, a former waitress who said she once served DeGeneres.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wrote a letter to the owner & complained about my chipped nail polish (not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand). I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morn, almost got me fired,\u201d Farah shared<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another fan chimed in and alleged<\/a>, \u201cMy friend wrote for the Ellen Show for two years and told me Ellen didn\u2019t greet her once. In fact, upon employment, staff were told they weren\u2019t allowed to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Portia
Ellen DeGeneres, with wife Portia de Rossi and Katy Perry at the 2013 Grammy Awards, did share some awkward moments with guests on her talk show. <\/figcaption>
Getty Images for NARAS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Writer and comedian Benjamin Siemon (\u201cCrazy Ex Girlfriend\u201d) claimed that DeGeneres had bizarre rules about her employees\u2019 hygiene. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe has a \u2018sensitive nose\u2019 so everyone must chew gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her and if she thinks you smell that day you have to go home and shower,\u201d he said<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cA new staff member was told \u201cevery day she picks someone different to really hate,\u201d he continued<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault, just suck it up for the day and she\u2019ll be mean to someone else the next day. They didn\u2019t believe it but it ended up being entirely true.\u201d<\/p>\n

These\u00a0accounts painted a tyrannical picture that\u2019s a vast departure from DeGeneres\u2019 \u201cnice\u201d persona \u2014 and from the underdog she started out with, following her coming-out moment and its backlash. <\/p>\n

The investigation of \u201cEllen\u2019s\u201d workplace also came on the heels of an April report from Variety<\/a> that crew members were \u201cfurious\u201d after \u201cEllen\u201d left them in the dust with no communication about their continued employment once the pandemic hit. <\/p>\n

\"Ellen
Ellen DeGeneres, here palling around with Kanye West, has been accused of not practicing what she preached with her \u201cbe kind\u201d mantra.<\/figcaption>
FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But even now that the dominos have fallen on \u201cEllen,\u201d it\u2019s not black and white, since not everyone sees her as a villain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A source close to the production told The Post, \u201cThe truth is there\u2019s a lot of gratitude among her staff that she didn\u2019t just quit after last summer, and has kept them all employed this season during a pandemic. And now, they all get to work for a whole other season next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talking to the Hollywood Reporter <\/a>on Wednesday about the end of \u201cEllen,\u201d DeGeneres said, \u201cThis culture we\u2019re living is\u2026 one where you can\u2019t learn and grow, which is, as human beings, what we\u2019re here to do.\u201d\n <\/div>\n