All The Controversies That Led To Ellen DeGeneres' Massive Downfall From Fame

Once upon a time, Ellen DeGeneres was an LGBTQ+ icon who dominated the syndicated talk show genre with incredible ease. After getting her feet wet with stand-up comedy, DeGeneres smoothly transitioned to the small screen with her quick quips, charming personality, and plethora of celebrity guests. "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" had its share of best and worst moments, but it's popularity during its heyday remains undeniable. Its almost 20-year run and 171 Emmy nominations are a testament in themselves. 

The mid-2010s saw the rise of several trends and societal movements, with "cancel culture" being one of the most prevalent. In a world where anything can be spread globally with a few clicks of a button, anonymity is near impossible. Celebrities and other prolific figures know this better than anyone, including DeGeneres. In just a few short years, DeGeneres' career took a nose dive of epic proportions that has left her largely forgotten at best, and completely ostracized at worst. No matter how much time passes, the stunning transformation of Ellen DeGeneres will always be one for the books. 

In December 2018, it was announced that actor-comedian Kevin Hart was chosen to host the 91st Academy Awards. In record time, old homophobic posts from Hart's Twitter resurfaced and made their way around the Internet. One shining example from 2011 shared by The New Yorker read: "Yo if my son comes home & try's 2 play with my daughters doll house I'm going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice 'stop that's gay.'" Hart stepped down from his Oscars role two days later; the ceremony subsequently went on without an official host.

Enter Ellen DeGeneres, who invited Hart to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" over 10 times between 2012 and 2022. In January 2019, DeGeneres and Hart addressed the Oscars controversy in a tense discussion. On his end, Hart acknowledged that he was in the wrong, although he also claimed, "To go through 40,000 tweets to get back to 2008 — that's an attack" (via YouTube). DeGeneres, on the other hand, revealed that she reached out to the Academy to try to get Hart's job back. DeGeneres reiterated her support for Hart throughout the segment and told him, "You have grown. You have apologized. You're apologizing again right now. Don't let these people win."

DeGeneres and Hart received a hefty amount of backlash for glossing over a serious social matter and perpetuating an unnecessary narrative of victimhood. "DeGeneres, a two-time Oscar emcee, put her own agenda ahead of the community she is a part of," Matthew Jacobs of the HuffPost wrote after the segment aired. "If Hart gets his job back, it'll be because one privileged lesbian with a TV show called the many, many people who protested her friend's problematic past 'trolls.'"

Ellen DeGeneres' January 2019 interview with Kevin Hart revealed a lot, including the fact that she has plenty of friends — or in general, a lot of acquaintances — in unexpected places. In October 2019, Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, who share a 15-year age gap, were invited to a Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers football game; they were invited by Charlotte Jones, the daughter of Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones. DeGeneres and de Rossi were spotted having a grand time with none other than former United States President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush.

DeGeneres and Bush's apparent friendship shocked the Internet for several reasons. While DeGeneres was known for being an LGBTQ+ pioneer and staunch liberal, Bush's eight-year presidential administration was known for opposing same-sex marriage and the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

After the football game and its subsequent stir online, DeGeneres addressed the event on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "I'm friends with George Bush," the comedian stated in her monologue (via YouTube). "In fact, I'm friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs that I have. I think that we've forgotten that that's okay that we're all different ... just because I don't agree with someone on everything doesn't mean that I'm not going to be friends with them."

In November 2019, "Fifty Shades" star Dakota Johnson appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to promote her then-newest movie, "The Peanut Butter Falcon." When DeGeneres and Johnson collide, their distinct personalities — and how they don't mesh well — shine quite brightly. Throughout the interview, the pair delivered several passive-aggressive digs, although because of Johnson's delivery, it's hard to tell what was intentionally snarky versus a series response. Johnson, for example, told DeGeneres quite matter-of-factly that Tig Notaro was her favorite comedian. "Other than you," she added (via YouTube).

While the entire interview was rather awkward in itself, Johnson and DeGeneres made Internet history when the subject of Johnson's 30th birthday was brought up at the beginning of the sit-down. When DeGeneres claimed she wasn't invited to Johnson's birthday party, Johnson quickly shot the accusation down. "Actually, no, that's not the truth, Ellen. You were invited," Johnson corrected. "Last time I was on the show, last year, you gave me a bunch of s**t about not inviting you [to Johnson's 29th birthday]. I didn't even know you wanted to be invited." Two members of production confirmed that DeGeneres was invited, but didn't go because she was "out of town."

As Rose McGowan once said, this moment was a cultural reset. When the interview dropped, people on Reddit and other social media sites had a field day about how unexpected Johnson's clap-back was. "That's something you don't ever really see in Hollywood. Top level cringe, ouch," one user wrote. Another commented, "I've disliked Ellen for a while now, due to her seeming disingenuous and occasionally quite nasty. I like Dakota for doing this."

In January 2020, beauty content creator Nikkie de Jager — known online as NikkieTutorials — appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." During the interview, de Jager talked about her experience as a transgender woman and the buildup to her "I'm Coming Out" video. After she and DeGeneres spoke about how de Jager was blackmailed into announcing her transition, DeGeneres revealed that the show would make a $10,000 donation to The Trevor Project in de Jager's name. 

Although DeGeneres and de Jager's conversation didn't raise any red flags when it aired, the YouTube star revealed that behind the scenes, the vibe wasn't so friendly and welcoming. A month following her appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," de Jager appeared on a Dutch talk show, "De Wereld Draait Door," and YouTuber Sebastian Williams translated the interview. According to Williams, de Jager said, "Let's just say there's a huge difference between this show and Ellen DeGeneres. ... It's nice that you say hi before the show," de Jager said gesturing to the Dutch talk show host. "She [Ellen] didn't. It was a huge honor to be on that stage with Ellen, but it wasn't as nice as I thought."

De Jager alleged poor mistreatment again in April 2020, when she spoke to Dutch magazine &C. During the interview, de Jager said, "I got greeted by an angry intern who was a bit overworked. I expected a Disney show, but I got a Teletubbies after dark." De Jager also mentioned that while the other guest stars were given a private bathroom, she did not. "I was not allowed to use the nearest toilet, because it was reserved for the Jonas Brothers. Why do they get a private toilet, I thought," she said.

Social media is a powerful tool that, when used correctly, can destroy someone's reputation in a matter of hours. In March 2020, comedian Kevin T. Porter took to Twitter, now known as X, and claimed that Ellen DeGeneres was one of "the meanest people alive." Porter asked other Twitter users to share "the most insane stories" about DeGeneres, and in return, he would donate $2 per response to the LA Regional Food Bank. 

Porter's tweet racked up thousands of responses, with stories ranging from minor inconveniences to full-on accusations of bad behavior. "She has a 'sensitive nose' so everyone must chew gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her," writer Benjamin Siemon replied. Siemon continued that new staff members were told, "Every day she picks someone different to really hate. It's not your fault, just suck it up for the day and she'll be mean to someone else the next day." "RuPaul's Drag Race" alum Detox also alleged, "An old friend worked on her lot & smiled & said "good afternoon" to her one day & she became unhinged." It's safe to say that Detox is one celebrity who can't stand Ellen DeGeneres. 

Two days after his initial request, Porter hopped back on Twitter and announced that he had donated $600 in DeGeneres' honor. "This got out of hand," Porter wrote. "It's now hard to tell which stories are real or not, so I've rounded up to 300." In May 2021, Porter told Metro that his tweet was supposed to be lighthearted. "The intended audience was just for my immediate circle and maybe like a little layer outside of it. Not what ended up happening," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the entertainment industry in 2020 with long-lasting effects. When the global lockdown was triggered in mid-March, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was temporarily suspended. The show returned rather quickly on April 6, 2020, although up until that fall, episodes were filmed from DeGeneres' home in California. "I've always wanted to have this show as a distraction, as a break for whatever's going on out there that may be unpleasant," DeGeneres said during one "welcome back" speech (via Today). "If you're feeling down I want to lift you up, if you're feeling trapped I want to set you free. If you feel like you're going in the wrong direction, I want you to back that thing up."

While DeGeneres perpetuated a calm exterior on virtual episodes of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," employees behind the scenes alleged that they suffered from the short end of the stick. On April 16, 2020, Variety exclusively reported that over 30 crew members were, for all intents and purposes, left in the dark about the show's future. The employees were either not informed about anything to do with the program's future — including scheduled hours and pay cycles — or told so little that conclusions couldn't be made. When reached out to for comment, Warner Bros. Television told Variety, "Our executive producers and Telepictures are committed to taking care of our staff and crew and have made decisions first and foremost with them in mind."

In July 2020, BuzzFeed News published a bombshell report that changed everything for Ellen DeGeneres. Eleven of DeGeneres' employees — one then-current and 10 former, who all remained anonymous — alleged that DeGeneres and the production team behind "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" cultivated a "toxic work environment" with intense stipulations that perpetuated "racism, fear, and intimidation." The employees alleged that they were not allowed to speak to DeGeneres if they saw her off-screen; they also agreed that their managers ignored financial and mental health concerns.

A particular grievous accusation made by Black employees was that, behind the scenes, they experienced repeated instances of microaggressions and discrimination that went unchecked. One employee told BuzzFeed News that a show writer once told her, "I'm sorry, I only know the names of the white people who work here." Another employee explained that whenever she had an issue at work, her "white male boss," would "bring up some random story about some random Black friend that he had and how they managed to get over stuff."

"We all feel this," the employee continued. "We've been feeling this way, but I've been too afraid to say anything because everyone knows what happens when you say something as a Black person." At the end of July, DeGeneres responded to the BuzzFeed News report with an email to her staff. Per the BBC, DeGeneres wrote in part, "We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I'm glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention."

Instead of Ellen DeGeneres' series being canceled outright, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Season 18 went along as planned and returned in September 2020. During the premiere episode, DeGeneres addressed the allegations against her in a roughly seven-minute opening monologue. "I learned that things happened here that never should've happened," she said (via YouTube). "I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected," DeGeneres stated. While her words sounded genuine to some, most of the YouTube comments declare otherwise. "Great apology! I loved the part where you talked around every major issue and addressed none of it!" one person sarcastically quipped.

In May 2021, DeGeneres finally revealed some interesting — although unsurprising — news: there would be no Season 20. "I am announcing that next season, Season 19, is going to be my last season," DeGeneres confirmed before thanking the audience and viewers at home (via YouTube). The last official episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" — several specials aired over the following weeks — aired on May 26, 2022, and featured guests like Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish, and Pink. During her final monologue, DeGeneres emotionally thanked the audience and mentioned, "Today is not the end of a relationship. It's more of a little break. You can see other talk shows now" (via YouTube).

In September 2024, DeGeneres mused about the downfall of her career in her Netflix comedy special, "Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval." Much of the stand-up set revolved around the 2020 allegations, with DeGeneres claiming that she was "kicked out of show business." That September, several ex-employees talked to Rolling Stone and complained that "For Your Approval" wasn't just unfunny, but a blatant attempt to invalidate their experiences. 

In November 2024, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi packed up and left the United States for the United Kingdom. Although DeGeneres has lain relatively low since the end of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," new allegations against her surfaced in August 2025. 

That month, former writer at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Greg Fitzsimmons called DeGeneres "the C-word" and "rough" on the podcast "We Might Be Drunk." "If you didn't pitch in her wheelhouse, then she looked at you like you had just f*****g stabbed her puppy," Fitzsimmons alleged. Around the same time, the Daily Mail (via Page Six) spoke to a former camera operator who expressed similar opinions. The anonymous ex-employee claimed that DeGeneres "really didn't like guys," and had a particular dislike for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay after he appeared on the show in 2010.

DeGeneres did not address the allegations after Page Six reached out for a comment. In January 2026, a source told the National Enquirer that DeGeneres "wants a comeback" and "misses Hollywood." Since leaving Tinseltown, her Instagram is largely dedicated to dance videos with de Rossi, reactions to political or social events, and throwbacks of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" — a far cry from the daily show that kept the comedian busy. The erstwhile talk show host has change a lot since then, even Ellen DeGeneres' signature blond hair changed after moving to the U.K. Time will tell if she ever makes a comeback and manages to turn her fallen reputation around.