Washington, September 3
Ellen DeGeneres is returning to Netflix with what she says will be her final standup special.
Titled 'Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval,' the new special is set to premiere globally on September 24. This marks her second special on Netflix, following Relatable in 2018, which was her first standup in 15 years.
The special is being produced by Ben Winston's Fulwell 73 Productions, along with DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. Joel Gallen, known for directing Chris Rock's 2023 special Selective Outrage, is directing this one as well.
DeGeneres joked about the upcoming special, saying, "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," read a statement from her social media account.
The "it" she's referring to are the toxic workplace allegations that surfaced in 2020, leading to a formal investigation and the dismissal of key executives from her long-running talk show. Despite the controversy, DeGeneres has maintained that these issues weren't the reason she ended her show after 19 seasons.
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, DeGeneres said, "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 is expected to get personal about her life experiences, including her time away from the spotlight. Netflix describes the special as exploring everything 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, where she's previously made headlines for addressing her past controversies before abruptly canceling some dates. Despite the drama, securing a new hour from DeGeneres is still seen as a big deal in the comedy world, especially as the demand for standup specials continues to grow.