It's Been Four Years Since 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' Ended — Where Is Ellen Now?

If you watched television in the 1990s, you know who Ellen DeGeneres is. With her signature short blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and acerbic wit, she's unmistakable and a legend in her own right.

But like so many legends, the reality behind the public persona is often not what people expect.

While on her show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the comedian, actor, and talk show host gave away prizes, helped struggling individuals, and made herself seem like everyone's openly gay best friend.

However, in 2020, allegations started to arise that painted Ellen as a cruel and uncaring boss to the employees who ran her show behind the scenes, tarnishing her once-sterling reputation. Eventually, she canceled her show and seemed to retreat from the public eye after the scrutiny mounted to intolerable levels. It's been four years since she canceled her show, and she's mostly been out of the public eye.

So, what is she up to now? Here's what we know.

These days, Ellen seems to be quietly living her life much the way she did before. She's active on social media, supporting artists and celebrity friends from time to time, and appearing to enjoy her (semi-forced) retirement with grace.

In 2024, she went on another comedy tour, reaching back to her roots as a stand-up comedian.

However, due to the damage to her reputation, it flopped, and Ellen retreated from Hollywood. Her social media these days appears to be a highlight reel of her best moments and favorite celebrity collaborations.

But she's also taking an active role in supporting protestors who are standing up to ICE agents in cities where they are accused of using brutal tactics against immigrants.

After the murder of 37-year-old mother Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Ellen shared a post talking about her life and the impact she left behind. The comedian added, "I’m so sad, and so angry, and so worried." And in another post, she offered support for the people of Minneapolis, citing the city as the last place she performed on her most recent comedy tour.

Mostly, she seems to be outrunning the ghosts of her past by focusing on the best parts of her career.

Ellen's empire of humor started to unravel in 2020, when Buzzfeed broke a story alleging that Ellen's show was actually a toxic place to work, with the comedian treating her employees terribly. The workplace she ran was described as an environment "dominated by fear."

Although she tried to ignore the mounting rumors and growing allegations, Ellen was eventually forced to confront the issue head-on and made an apology.

In an email to her staffers, Ellen wrote that she was "committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

She added, "We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I'm glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention" (excerpt via BBC).

But it wasn't enough, and eventually Ellen canceled her show in 2022 after 19 seasons, leaving fans devastated and critics triumphant. She went from being Hollywood's darling comedian and a known generous superstar, beloved LGBTQ icon, and all-around funny gal to suddenly persona non grata.

Judging by the comments under her posts on Instagram, some fans are willing to let bygones be bygones. Others, however, seem compelled to keep a memory of her behavior alive.