Ellen DeGeneres was an incredibly successful talk show host during her time on the air, and also one of the most controversial. Mid 2020, DeGeneres faced a slew of “Mean Ellen” rumors by many of her Hollywood peers, which laid the groundwork for her show ending. Regardless of the buzz, she still has fans who’d love to see her on TV, but could it ever happen? Now, three years after The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended, the former host is sharing if she’d step back into that limelight.
After DeGeneres said goodbye to her long-running series, she moved to the UK with wife Portia de Rossi in November 2024. With the move, many aren’t expecting any daytime TV reprisals for the 67-year-old celeb anytime soon. But in a discussion at the Everyman Theatre with broadcaster Richard Bacon, the thought still intrigues her. After being asked if she’d ever be interested to host a similar project, she expressed that she misses the gig but today’s formatting standards don’t fill the bill anymore. Via BBC, she shared:
I mean, I wish it did, because I would do the same thing here. I would love to do that again, but I just feel like people are watching on their phones, or people aren’t really paying attention as much to televisions, because we’re so inundated with information and entertainment.
“toxic” workplace allegations, DeGeneres’ show guaranteed that she had a major influence on TV. Her reputation took some hits after comments from celebrities who had appeared on her show that weren’t exactly complimentary. Many stars shared general feelings, like Ryan Phillippe’s shade, or their professional and personal experiences. Singer Mariah Carey was “extremely uncomfortable” with DeGeneres, after she forced her hand to talk about her pregnancy. The Bachelorette alum Ali Fedotowsky-Manno was made to feel stupid while she was a guest.
Finding Nemo actress seems to be looking ahead in her career, and not behind. She’s open to future possibilities awaiting her but not sure where to head just yet. That said, DeGeneres will be going into any new endeavor with intention, and to have some fun. For now though, she is more or less making do with her farm animals, as she said on the subject of picking her next gig:
I just don’t know what that is yet. I want to have fun, I want to do something. I do like my chickens but I’m a little bit bored.
As one of the many celebrities who’ve moved out of Los Angeles, it seems that the move was a big step forward for her. The aftermath of The Ellen DeGeneres Show was followed by Ellen’s Game of Games game show getting cancelled. But the comedy vet eventually moved ahead with a return to stand-up followed by Netflix standup special, For Your Approval.
As for whatever’s next – even the possibility of a talk show – it seems like she’s going about it carefully, with intention and trying to avoid any future backlash. It remains to be seen where she goes next, as there are still comments being made by celebs about Degeneres’ odd professional behavior.