US comedian and TV host Ellen DeGeneres told the audience on the first night of her new stand-up show that the controversy around the end of her long-running show had taken a "toll" on her ego and self-esteem.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended after 19 seasons in 2022 following a BuzzFeed News story based on anonymous quotes from her talk show staff. They complained of being penalised for taking medical leave, instances of racial micro-aggressions, and fear of punishment for raising complaints.
Ellen's Last Stand … Up Tour, which is being filmed by Netflix, is DeGeneres' first comedy tour since 2018.
On the opening night in Los Angeles, the comedian discussed the events that took her away from the limelight and said they had "such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem."
She added: "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.
"For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I've been kicked out of show business.
In 1998, her popular sitcom Ellen was abruptly cancelled by ABC after she publicly came out as gay.
"Eventually they're going to kick me out for a third time because I'm mean, old, and gay," she told the sold-out audience.
"There's such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolize you or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder."
