Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end.
The comedian began performing her 鈥淓llen鈥檚 Last Stand鈥p Tour鈥 this week, her first major project since "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" finished its run in 2022.
"Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business," DeGeneres quipped to the crowd at Largo at the Coronet Theater in West Hollywood, according to .
DeGeneres hosted her daytime show for 19 seasons. In 2020, she apologized on air after staffers had alleged the production environment on set was toxic - a contrast to happy tone of the show and her public image.
鈥淚 became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps,鈥 DeGeneres joked in her set Wednesday. 鈥淒o you know how hard it is to dance up steps? Would a mean person dance up steps? Had I ended my show by saying, 鈥楪o f**k yourself,鈥 people would鈥檝e been pleasantly surprised.鈥
DeGeneres also referenced how her sitcom 鈥淓llen鈥 was cancelled in 1998, not long after she publicly shared she is gay.
鈥淔or those of you keeping score, this is the second time I鈥檝e been kicked out of show business,鈥 she said. 鈥淓ventually they鈥檙e going to kick me out for a third time because I鈥檓 mean, old and gay.鈥
DeGeneres said it had all taken a toll on her self-esteem, adding 鈥減eople either love you and idolize you or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder.鈥
鈥淚t was so hurtful. I couldn鈥檛 do anything to make myself understand that it wasn鈥檛 personal,鈥 DeGeneres told the Largo audience in a conversation after her set. 鈥淚 just thought, 鈥榃ell this is not the way I wanted to end my career, but this is the way it鈥檚 ending.鈥 I just hated the way the show ended. I love that show so much and I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way.鈥
will have multiple dates this spring and summer before later debuting on Netflix.