DeGeneres’ special was filmed during her performance at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minn. Photo courtesy of Vox.

SAMANTHA RITTENBERG | STAFF REPORTER | srittenberg@butler.edu 

Most people recognize the pantsuit-wearing pixie-cut blonde comedian known as Ellen DeGeneres. But does everyone know DeGeneres’ thoughts about being canceled not once but twice?

DeGeneres’ new special, called “For Your Approval,” takes a deep dive into why the comedian was kicked out of Hollywood, all while DeGeneres weaves in lighthearted jokes throughout the show. What was originally just a farewell tour was turned into a Netflix special full of love, laughs and even tears.

The special opens up with young Ellen starring on The Johnny Carson Show in her first appearance on network television. The camera then pans over to show when DeGeneres got her start — on her sitcom named “Ellen” — and when DeGeneres came out as gay. It eventually morphs into all the noise from her recent scandal. 

The special takes on a very different energy from her talk show where DeGeneres danced down the stairs and gave away flat-screen TVs. Instead, DeGeneres discusses both trivial and serious matters, from “being disappointed in pigeons” to talking about her mother’s struggle with dementia. She also mentions her diagnoses of obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit disorder and how those affect her daily life. 

Even though DeGeneres discusses more serious topics in the show, there are still moments when DeGeneres just feels like “good-ole Ellen”. Her ability to talk about car features and parking for seven minutes is something that not every comedian can accomplish. Neither is her ability to make jokes that suit all audience members regardless of their age or gender.

It’s not uncommon for celebrities to mess up once in a while; they’re real people, too. 

Alyssa Smith, a junior psychology and Spanish double major talked about her reaction to the scandal. 

“I wouldn’t back up [Ellen’s] behavior or support it,” Smith said. “[But] I would also venture to say that, if you were to do a deep dive into the lives of many celebrities, I think this is a common stream of things we’d find.”

Unfortunately for DeGeneres, there have been mixed reviews in the week since her special came out, veering on the more critical side. People aren’t watching the special to listen to DeGeneres make jokes — they’re watching to listen to her talk about the scandal.

DeGeneres subtly brings up the subject of her ‘being canceled’ in the second line of the show.

“Thank you so much. It seems like you still care,” DeGeneres said in her special.

DeGeneres rarely brings up the topic explicitly throughout the entire 70-minute special.

Sophomore neuroscience major Eva Warren flipped the narrative by thinking about the situation from DeGeneres’ point of view. 

“The issue is that people have gotten so sensitive, especially in the past decade,” Warren said. “I think that a lot of comedians who were quote-unquote ‘mean’ have been canceled or are deemed not funny anymore, even though they are [still] objectively funny. Comedians just have to be so careful about what they say, which I think really limits comedy.”

Rolling Stone contacted many former employees from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to hear their thoughts on the Netflix special. Six former employees commented that what DeGeneres had to say “continues to invalidate and deny our experiences.” These employees reported anonymously since they all still work in Hollywood.

Sophomore psychology major Erin Canny reflects on how her perception of DeGeneres changed with the scandal. 

“When you think of the name Ellen, you don’t think of her doing anything bad,” Canny said.” You always knew her as happy-go-lucky Ellen, and she was a good role model. [The scandal] really changed my point of view [of her].”

The mixed reviews from the special have made Ellen’s final hurrah on television an interesting one. DeGeneres mentioned in the special that she will be writing a memoir, so fans can toy with the possibility of that being a positive experience.

While longtime fans have since forgiven DeGeneres, she hopes that — even if it’s not because of her Netflix special — one day, everyone will be kind to one another.

“For Your Approval” is available to stream on Netflix.