Ellen DeGeneres is set to make her return to Netflix with a stand-up special she claims will be her last. Entitled 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval,' the special is scheduled to debut worldwide on September 24. This will be her second special on the platform, following 'Relatable' in 2018, which marked her return to stand-up after a 15-year hiatus.
The special is being produced by Fulwell 73 Productions, led by Ben Winston, in collaboration with DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. Joel Gallen, who directed Chris Rock's 2023 special 'Selective Outrage,' is also at the helm of this project. DeGeneres humorously addressed the upcoming special on her social media, stating, '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.'
The 'it' in question refers to the workplace toxicity allegations that arose in 2020, prompting a formal investigation and the removal of several key executives from her popular talk show. Despite the controversy, DeGeneres has consistently asserted that these issues were not the driving force behind her decision to end the show after 19 seasons. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, she expressed, 'It almost impacted the show. It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn't have come back this season. So, it's not why I'm stopping, but it was hard.'
In 'For Your Approval,' DeGeneres plans to delve into personal anecdotes from her life, including her period out of the public eye. Netflix teases the special as a journey through topics ranging from 'the mundane world of raising chickens and parallel parking to the harsh reality of becoming a brand name celebrity.' This new special is part of her multi-city 'Ellen's Last Stand... Up' tour, which has previously garnered attention for her addressing past controversies and subsequent abrupt cancellations of some tour dates. Despite the controversies, securing a new hour from DeGeneres remains significant in the comedy industry, particularly as the appetite for stand-up specials continues to surge.
