It was devastating being labelled 'mean', says Ellen DeGeneres

Unlike what most people would think, it mattered to Ellen DeGeneres what people think of her. Hence, when she was labelled things like “mean” and someone who gave people a hard time at work, she chose to keep away.

Two years after The Ellen DeGeneres Show came to an end, the chat show host got candid about how toxic workplace allegations made against her affected her mental health. The allegations were made in July 2020 and she addressed the topic in her final Netflix special Ellen Degeneres: For Your Approval, which premiered on September 24.

Her talk show ran from 2003 to 2022 for 19 seasons.

Ellen addressed 'mean'and 'toxic workplace allegations'in comedy special

In the special, she said, "I'm happy not being a boss or a brand or a billboard, just a person.”

She added, "Just a multifaceted person with different feelings and emotions, and I can be happy and sad and compassionate or frustrated. I have OCD and ADD. I'm honest. I'm generous. I'm sensitive and thoughtful. But I'm tough, and I'm impatient, and I'm demanding. I'm direct. I'm a strong woman.”

"When you're a public figure, you're open to everyone's interpretation. And I'm sure you've heard the saying that, 'What other people think of me is none of my business.' Because people will say all kinds of things and you have no control over that. But you know the truth and that's all that matters," she said.

"If they like you, you're in, and if they don't, you're out. And I've spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy and I've cared far too much what other people think of me. So, the thought of anyone thinking that I'm mean was devastating to me, and it consumed me for a long time," Ellensaid, noting that she's gained "perspective" with ageing.

Ellen received a standing ovation at the end of the show. She then said that she’s “proud of who I've become."

Ellen said “after a lifetime of caring, I just can't anymore. So I don't.”