Ellen DeGeneres is back with her Netflix special For Your Approval, and the internet is already having a field day roasting her.
After a two-year break following the cancellation of her talk show over allegations of a toxic workplace, Ellen’s return to stand-up has everyone buzzing — mostly with some serious shade.
Ellen, known for her “be kind to one another” motto, wrapped up The Ellen Show in 2022 after nearly two decades, when former staffers spilled the tea on a culture that was anything but kind.
This special was supposed to be her big comeback moment. “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done,” she said at a July stand-up show in San Francisco.
But it seems like her farewell is already going to shit, especially as the opening clip of her special was shared on X (formerly Twitter) and folks have been brutal in their review.
The clip opens with Ellen walking into a room and a voice that gives vintage radio energy asks “is the queen of nice the queen of mean?”
Cue the dramatic music as news headlines about Ellen’s scandal flash across the screen. Words like “toxic”, “phony”, “hypocrite”, and “liar” circle around her while she just kind of breathes a lot I guess — it’s giving anti-bullying presentation at school.
The opening finally comes to an end with Ellen looking camp at us, right in the eye. Let’s just say the internet had a lot to say about the intense opening.
“The egocentrism and celebrity worship of the last generation just doesn’t hit like they think it will this generation. I’m not her intended audience, but comedians these days really latch onto the ‘cancelled’ identity left and right like it’s not, at minimum, hacky at this point,” said one X user.
Another said, “Oh no I was cancelled for being a terrible person… let me joke about it on my very own special!”
The rest of the special, which came out on September 24th, seems like it wasn’t much better than the opening.
She mostly talked about raising chickens during her cancellation. “They lay an egg every day, and as someone who once hosted a daily talk show, I can really appreciate that,” Ellen said to a crowd who seemed to eat the observation up.
“I’m sure they’re thinking: ‘I just laid an egg. I don’t think I can do that again tomorrow.’ And yet, they do.” Totally sis!
Ellen does dive deeper into her thoughts on being cancelled, saying, “We have all these unwritten rules based on gender about acceptable behaviour. If we don’t follow those rules, it makes people uncomfortable. And if people are uncomfortable, there are consequences.”
“For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I’ve been kicked out of show business,” she continued, essentially comparing her latest exit to when she was blacklisted in the 90s for coming out as a lesbian on Ellen and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
It seems Ellen has come to peace with where she’s at. “I’m happy not being a boss or a brand or a billboard, just a person,” she said towards the end of the special.
However, it doesn’t seem like everyone else is at peace with her actions.
“That Ellen Degeneres comedy special on Netflix was NOT FUNNY. I didn’t laugh a single time. She clearly still thinks she was fake fired for being “mean” and didn’t address anything. Shit was wack AF,” said an honest X user.
“Ellen DeGeneres created one final standup special to share how ‘victimised’ she is — in between playing with chickens, lying around in sweats, or passing on dinner with Jagger — yet she forgets the part called culpability,” said another user. Yikes!
Whether you’re an Ellen fan or not, no one can deny she keeps us entertained.
Lead image: Netflix via YouTube/ @relientkenny via X
