Ellen DeGeneres has dropped her comeback special. One moment is a step too far.

Ellen DeGeneres has made her return to TV, or should we say, her goodbye.

In the Netflix special For Your Approval, DeGeneres returns to stand-up for the first time in six years.

In the synopsis for the special, Netflix teases that "Ellen gets personal and reveals what she's been doing since being 'kicked out of show business.' From the mundane world of raising chickens and parallel parking to the harsh reality of becoming a brand name celebrity, she goes deep into her stand-up roots and brings the laughs through life's most real and absurd realities."

It's been a tumultuous few years for the once-beloved talk show host and the voice of a forgetful fish. Following a Buzzfeed News report from 2020 that alleged bullying, sexual misconduct and racism on the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the show abruptly ended after 19 years on air.

Of course, the infamous Dakota Johnson interview where the actress told the host "That's not the truth, Ellen," came before this. Once perceived as a champion of kindness, the interview prompted in the shift in Ellen's reputation and public perception.

In her new Netflix special, Ellen side-stepped any reference to the viral interview with Johnson (a wasted chance for some genuine commentary), but did address her TV show ending and the public turning on her.

Watch the trailer for the special. Post continues after video.

So far, the reviews have been truly savage.

In The Independent, the show was described as "bizarre, unfunny and self-pitying".

"DeGeneres has stated that it's her swan song, or a goodbye from show business on her own terms. But it is frustratingly clean, devoid of any real anger or regret, and refuses to depict its star as anything other than an unfairly condemned martyr."

Meanwhile, The Guardian wrote that "if you want humility [from Ellen], look elsewhere," adding that "there's not much here for her to be proud of – nor much for fans of comedy."

Variety referred to the special as "self-indulgent", writing that the show was "a spectacle of ego that seems at odds with the humble, just-folks demeanour DeGeneres shows on stage."

Aside from the material, it must be noted that the opening sequence is, errr… very dramatic.

Instead of merely walking on stage, like most stand-up comedians would do, the Netflix special begins with Ellen in her dressing room staring wistfully at her reflection in the mirror. Then a flash of Ellen's early successes scroll across the screen as she makes her way to the stage.

This is fine, if a bit corny, but Ellen has earned the right to boast about her career, which began with her barrier-breaking '90s TV show Ellen. The show made history for featuring the first lead character come out as gay on network television in US, but was cancelled shortly thereafter. Ellen launched her first comeback in 2003, and soon became the global sensation of a day-time talk show, which she hosted for 19 (largely uncontentious) years.

Now, Ellen has decided to lean into her public fall from grace in the 2020s, and it just comes across as completely tone-deaf and out of touch. After the montage of her successes, headlines scroll across the screen, as words like 'liar', 'phony' and 'liar' boom on screen.

It's just… a lot.

Dear Ellen Hansen https://t.co/r7eV2Xb18S

— Zach Schiffman (@schlife) September 25, 2024

Yes, the public fallout for Ellen was overblown, but the culture quickly moved on. The way this special dredged up the past only works to victimise Ellen without engaging in any of the criticism that was directed at her, her talk show or the workplace culture behind-the-scenes.

In the special, Ellen admitted she "can be demanding and impatient and tough," but then added that she was "a strong woman" which seemingly shrugged over her critics as misogynists.

"I am many things, but I am not mean," she declared in the special.

Ellen made light of the seriousness of the allegations by telling a joke about "a game of tag in 2016," that she played with her staff.

"I would chase [employees] all over the studio, I would scare them because I loved to do that," she said. "You know, hearing myself say this out loud … I was chasing my employees and terrorising them … I can see how that would be misinterpreted."

Many of Ellen's jokes missed the mark. Image: Netflix.

The host conveniently tried to conflate her 2020s cancellation with what happened to her in the '90s. It came across as slightly manipulative, given how much the LGBTIQA+ community has suffered from discrimination over decades — a far cry from a boss being called out for a toxic work environment.

"For those keeping score, this is the second time I was kicked out of show business," DeGeneres reminded the audience. "They kicked me out before because I told them I was gay — can't be gay in show business."

Still, there were some moments that reminded viewers why Ellen was such a beloved personality for two decades. Her bit on the chickens she keeps at home, for example, was classic Ellen.

"Did you know that chickens dream? Scientists have discovered that chickens dream," she said. "Now listen, I love animals more than anyone, but I think we can take the scientists working on chicken dreams and move them over to climate change."

Ellen's lines about her mother's dementia were another important reminder of how masterfully Ellen can find humour in life's saddest moments, which was a touchstone of her talk show.

"My whole life was wrapped up in my show, and my mother's whole identity was being Ellen's mum, and now I don't have a show and she doesn't know she's my mum," she said.

"She just thinks I'm a nice lady that goes to visit her, or there's a good chance she thinks I'm Kelly Ripa."

The problem with this special is not that Ellen isn't funny — she is inarguably one of this generation's most accomplished comedic voices. But rather than finding the funny in the circumstances that happened to her, she wants to convince the audience that she was wronged.

If this was Ellen's final goodbye to Hollywood, she would have been better off staying home and swapping stories with her chickens.

Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval is streaming now on Netflix.

Feature image: Netflix.