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Ellen DeGeneres' Unfunny Netflix Special Leaves So Much Unsaid

DeGeneres vowed to 'talk about it' in 'For Your Approval,' her farewell to stand-up. But she has nothing of value to say

As anyone who was sentient in 1997 will recall, she confirmed years’ worth of rumors about her sexual orientation on the cover of a certain magazine: “Yep, I’m Gay.” It was a transitional moment for LGBTQ people in mainstream American culture, and DeGeneres’ coming out still, unfortunately, qualified as a controversy. The comedian never repeats the specific accusations about what happened behind the scenes; even those who followed the story at the time may have, by now, forgotten the details, which surely helps her create the impression that some jerks randomly decided to destroy her life by calling her mean. In fact, dozens of the talk show’s former and then-current staffers described, in the BuzzFeed articles, a hostile workplace environment defined by “ racism, fear, and intimidation ” as well as incidents of “ harassment, sexual misconduct, and assault from top producers.” In 2020, the New York Times reported that, amid “staffing changes” made in the wake of those pieces, DeGeneres apologized to employees in an email acknowledging their unhappiness, claiming to have “deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or—worse—disregarded,” and vowing to do better.

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