Ellen DeGeneres is preparing to retire from show business.
The 66-year-old comedian said she was “done” with public appearances after Netflix Comedy Special It will be released later this year.
DeGeneres made the announcement during her comedy show in Santa Rosa, California, on July 1.
“This is the last time you’ll see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done,” she said, according to San Francisco Gate.
When a fan asked her if she would ever voice Dory again from Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, she replied, “No, I’m leaving, remember that.”
DeGeneres is currently on her “Ellen’s Last Stand… Up” tour. She recently canceled four shows without explanation.
Prior to the tour, DeGeneres had remained under the radar after her eponymous talk show ended its 19th season in May 2022 following allegations of toxic workplaces.
In 2020, current and former employees spoke anonymously about their alleged experiences on the set of the talk show to BuzzFeed News. She apologized to employees at the time, and producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman, and Jonathan Norman left the show.
“As we grew so big, I couldn’t keep up with everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I wanted them to. Obviously, some didn’t,” she wrote at the time in a memo, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “That will change now and I’m committed to making sure that doesn’t happen again.”
DeGeneres reportedly addressed the controversy on her July 1 comedy special.
“I was thrown out of show business for being tough,” she told the crowd, according to SFGate.
“I can be demanding, impatient and tough. I’m a strong woman. I’m many things, but I’m not evil,” she added.
“I used to say, ‘I don’t care what people say about me,’” the Emmy winner continued. “And now I realize I said that at the height of my popularity.”
DeGeneres had previously spoken out about the allegations against her during a performance in West Hollywood in April.
“The hate has been going on for so long, I’ve been trying to avoid the news. The girl who acts nice wasn’t nice. That’s the headline,” she told her audience in Largo.
She also joked that she had become “the most hated person in America.”
Two weeks before the final episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” aired, the former Oscars host said, Hollywood Reporter Her decision to end the show had nothing to do with the backstage controversy.
“When you’re a creative person, you always need a challenge — and as great as this show is and as fun as it is, it’s not a challenge anymore,” she said.
DeGeneres’ upcoming Netflix special was announced in May.
“To answer the questions that everyone has been asking me — yes, I will talk about it. Yes, this is my last special,” the comedian said in press release.
“Freelance entrepreneur. Communicator. Gamer. Explorer. Pop culture practitioner.”
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