The talk show host also admitted being branded the ‘most hated person in America’ was a huge blow to her ego

Ellen DeGeneres (left) with wife Portia de Rossi
AFP/Getty Images

Ellen DeGeneres has spoken about the toll bullying accusations had on her long-standing marriage to Arrested Development star Portia de Rossi.

The comedian ended her long-running chat show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in 2022 after Buzzfeed News published allegations from former employees that accused the series of having a toxic work environment, as well as claims of sexual misconduct, racism, and workplace bullying.

DeGeneres later apologised, but the show dipped in ratings, lost advertisers, and struggled to book guests, according to the outlet. She announced in May 2021 that the show would be ending.

Two years on since the series ended, the 66-year-old addressed the backlash she faced in the wake of the accusations, describing it as “devastating”.

Opening up during her comeback show, Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour, in Los Angeles on Wednesday, she shared: “I’m making jokes about what happened to me, but it was devastating.

“It took a long time for me to want to do anything again.”

DeGeneres pictured on the set of her show
PA Media

Commenting on the impact the accusations and fallout had on her, DeGeneres said: “It’s hard to dance when you’re crying.”

According to Rolling Stone, DeGeneres revealed the “funk” began to damage her relationship with her actress wife as she struggled to leave her home during the “hard time”.

The TV star reflected: “She was watching it happen to me… she went through it with me.”

The couple, who first met in 2001, began dating in 2004 and wed once same-sex marriage became legal in California in 2008.

Reflecting on the backlash to the revelations, DeGeneres added: “The hate went on for a long time and I would try to avoid looking at the news.

“The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline. It’s been such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem.

“There’s such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolise you or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder.”

DeGeneres added that she “hated the way the show ended” because she “loved that show so much”.

Ellen’s Last Stand … Up Tour marks her first comedy tour since 2018.