Ellen DeGeneres Is Coming Back, Are We On Board?

Ellen DeGeneres Is Coming Back, Are We On Board?

Ellen DeGeneres will present a new, one-hour-long comedy special for Netflix. Not only is this big because she is going to talk about the controversy that hit, and ultimately became the demise of her talk show, but she says it will be her last comedy special ever. Of course, we've heard celebrities say it's their last and then do a million farewell tours.  She will also hit the road with a multi-city stand-up tour, starting in San Diego on June 19th. The thing is, are we on board?

In a press release from Netflix this week, Ellen states, “To answer the questions everyone is asking me- Yes, I’m going to talk about it. Yes, this is my last special. Yes, Portia really is that pretty in real life.”

 

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Her last Netflix special aired in 2018 and was titled Relatable. The special was meh, and actually made her seem more unrelatable than ever.

After being almost completely ostracized by Hollywood after coming out in 1997 on her sitcom Ellen, she came back in the spotlight full force and built a media and product empire due to the success of her daily talk show. She was a mainstream star. After disgruntled employees and past guests came out and accused the show, and her, of having a toxic environment, the show started to wane and her star started to dim as more and more details of her alleged personality came out. The media and public turned, and even us gays started to poke fun. It didn't help that during COVID, she seemed so out of touch holed up in her mansion and complaining while the majority of us were trying to find toilet paper and pay rent.

Remember how fun the show used to be? This clip is a blast from the past from season 2 of her talk show.

 

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Her talk show lasted for a whopping 19 seasons. Not bad. The merch and her spinoff TV series added to her growing empire.

 

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So here's the question. Are we welcoming back Ellen with open arms? The fact that she is addressing the talk show controversy in her next comedy special is something, but is she going to make light of it and make it the butt of her jokes? Are we ready to laugh about it yet? Or ever?

That being said, we know the gays and the media love to jump on the bandwagon when someone so high up falls off the pedestal. Remember what we did to Britney? By the same token, we love a good comeback story. Remember how we rallied for Britney? Sure, the show may have had a toxic environment, but maybe she's learned and grown from that? We all make mistakes, don't we? How do we pick and choose who we welcome back to the winner's circle?

 

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At the very least, we shouldn't forget what she has done for not just our community, but beyond that. Sure, she's a megamillionaire and maybe not as relatable as she was in her very early comedy years. But her coming out did so much for the LGBTQ community, at the risk of losing her entire career. She became a trailblazer for LGBTQ celebrities coming out publicly. She also brought the gay to network TV, no small feat for that time. Look how far our community's representation has grown.

Her talk show earned 64 Daytime Emmys and brought a lesbian into America's living rooms. Even my stepgrandfather, who didn't care for lesbians at all, would watch her daily and laugh and start talking about gay issues. Even with all the negative press, she remains one of the top 25 followed celebrities on social media. Her being out and proud stands for something, right? She has been an avid animal rights and biodiversity advocate, starting The Ellen Fund that has done remarkable work in that field. We don't have to mention the long list of LGBTQ advocacy and fundraising she has done, also writing checks herself.

 

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It will be interesting to see how her city tour goes, and how her Netflix special fares. Have we bitten the hand that has fed us and forced her to retire before she could do more for our representation? Or are we holding celebrities accountable for their actions?

Will you be welcoming Ellen back with open arms?

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