Ellen DeGeneres said she's 'done' with fame after her upcoming Netflix special. Here's a complete timeline of the backlash she's faced since 2020.

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  • Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is known for her goofy, friendly persona and "be kind" mantra.
  • Accusations by crew members and a guest on her show led to a string of bad press in 2020.
  • At a recent stand-up show, DeGeneres said that she's "not mean."
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres began facing backlash in 2020.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has long been considered a beloved celebrity for her friendly and funny public demeanor. But in 2020, that all changed as complaints of inconsiderate behavior sprung up in the news.

The Dutch beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager, also known as NikkieTutorials, was one of the first people to call out DeGeneres, saying on a talk show in her home country that the beloved host was "cold and distant" during de Jager's appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." 

In April of that year, a thread on X (formerly known as Twitter) asking for stories about DeGeneres being "one of the meanest people alive" was widely shared, garnering more than 2,000 replies from people describing uncomfortable or off-putting experiences with the host.

Crew members for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" also spoke and said they had not received any communication from DeGeneres or show executives about their pay or working hours during the coronavirus pandemic.

With accusations of unkind or inconsiderate behavior swirling around the talk show host for years, it can be hard to keep track of all the controversy. Below, we broke down all the backlash DeGeneres has received since 2020.

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Nikkie de Jager appeared on DeGeneres' show in January 2020.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

NikkieTutorials was one of the first people to speak out in February 2020

The Dutch beauty vlogger first visited "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in January to discuss her experience as a transgender woman after coming out earlier that month.

But de Jager said during an appearance on the Dutch talk show "De Wereld Draait Door" in February that it hadn't been a completely positive experience for her.

"Let me say that there's a big difference between this show and Ellen DeGeneres, and I'm saying that in favor of this show," de Jager told the host Matthijs van Nieuwkerk, according to a translation by the YouTuber Sebastian Williams, a native Dutch speaker. "It's nice that you say 'hi' before the show. She didn't."

When van Nieuwkerk asked de Jager whether DeGeneres was "cold and distant," the beauty YouTuber agreed. 

And on Thursday, another interview with de Jager came to light in which she expanded on her experience with DeGeneres and DeGeneres' show. De Jager reportedly told &C Magazine that the friendly, welcoming atmosphere portrayed to viewers wasn't the reality in the studio.

"Maybe I'm being naive, but I expected them to welcome me with confetti: Welcome to 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'!" she said in the interview seen by Pop Crave. "But instead I got greeted by an angry intern, who was a bit overworked. I expected a Disney show, but I got a 'Teletubbies' after dark."

According to de Jager, she didn't receive the same VIP treatment as other celebrity guests on the show, despite having millions of views on her YouTube videos. 

"Every guest at Ellen had a private toilet, but I didn't," she said, referring to a bathroom. "I couldn't even use the closest toilet to me because it was reserved for the Jonas brothers."

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DeGeneres was called out by users on X after a thread asking for "insane" stories about her went viral.

YouTube

In April, a thread on X asking for stories about DeGeneres being 'one of the meanest people alive' received more than 2,000 replies

A comedian named Kevin T. Porter crowdsourced "insane stories you've heard about Ellen being mean" in exchange for $2 donations to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank — and received thousands of responses on X. 

 

While the accuracy of the stories is impossible to verify from posts alone, news outlets, including Business Insider, picked up on the thread.

One user accused DeGeneres of using her fan art as a prop, while another described her getting mad at a server with chipped nail polish who waited on the host and her wife, Portia de Rossi, at brunch.

There were also stories about DeGeneres' behavior while filming, including accusations that she wouldn't let crew members eat meat, that she fired an autistic custodian for greeting her, and that she made anyone entering her office chew gum from a bowl outside her door since she had a "sensitive nose."

DeGeneres didn't respond publicly to the accusations, and a representative for the talk show host didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on this story.

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DeGeneres made a joke about prison during an at-home show in April 2020, and users on X weren't pleased.

Ellen DeGeneres/EllenTube

The host also faced backlash after joking that self-isolating in her mansion was 'like being in jail'

On her April 6, 2020 show, DeGeneres compared self-isolating in her California mansion to being in prison — and Twitter users were quick to call out the talk-show host for what they felt was an insensitive remark.

"One thing I've learned from being in quarantine is that people — this is like being in jail, is what this is," DeGeneres said during the segment, adding, "It's mostly because I've been wearing the same clothes for 10 days, and everyone in here is gay."

DeGeneres seemed amused by her comparison, smiling and remarking, "The jokes that I have." 

After DeGeneres shared the clip on Twitter, users were quick to call out the host for her remarks about prisons, especially during a time when people in prisons were at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Some pointed out that those in prisons were far more likely to die from the novel coronavirus than the larger population — especially wealthy people like DeGeneres.

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DeGeneres continued to film her talk show, despite being in lockdown during the pandemic.

Kevin Winter/One Voice: Somos Live!/Getty Images

In April 2020, news broke that DeGeneres' crew was 'furious' about a lack of communication over their pay during the shutdown

Variety cited two anonymous sources as saying that the long-running talk show's core stage crew — which consisted of more than 30 employees — had not received any communication about the status of their working hours or pay and that producers had not checked in about their mental and physical health.

Furthermore, the report said crew members were left in the dark about how much they would be paid, or whether they would be paid at all, for more than two weeks.

DeGeneres' show continued to air, with the host recording from her home in California, but Variety reported that only four members of the core crew were working on the show's lockdown edition, with a nonunion tech company brought on to help. 

And despite a statement from Warner Bros. Television saying the crew had been paid at a consistent rate (albeit at reduced hours), crew members were still said to be upset about a lack of personal care from the show — and felt the way they had been treated was not in keeping with DeGeneres' famous "be kind" advice.

Such reports are a stark contrast with other shows.

Stagehands on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" were paid by the host himself during initial COVID-19 shutdowns, for example, and were paid their full rates by ABC after returning to the air remotely. "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" and "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee" also communicated transparently with staff and crew and paid full rates.

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Portia de Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres's wife, was "very pleasant," according to a bodyguard hired to protect the comedian at the 2014 Oscars.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

A former bodyguard for the host said his experience with her at the 2014 Oscars was 'kind of demeaning'

Tom Majercak was hired to protect DeGeneres, her mother, and her wife, Portia de Rossi, as they attended the 86th Academy Awards, which DeGeneres hosted. 

But the bodyguard told Fox News in April 2020 that his experience with DeGeneres was less than ideal.

"I'm holding their hands and walking them through individuals and large groups of people. Ellen is the one person that I've been assigned to — and I've been assigned to quite a few celebrities — that has never taken the time to say hi to me," Majercak said. 

According to the bodyguard, DeGeneres' wife, de Rossi, was "very pleasant" throughout the evening and "carried on a conversation," but things "started going negatively" when de Rossi introduced him to the talk show host. 

"Ellen pretty much just gave me a side glance out of her eye and didn't even say 'hello,' or 'thank you for protecting my mother, my wife and me,'" Majercak told Fox News, adding, "It was very cold and it was very sly and it was actually kind of demeaning in the way that she treats people other than those who are in her circle."

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DeGeneres's reputation fell under scrutiny beginning in 2020.

Steve Granitz/WireImage

A former producer for DeGeneres' show said that the host once called Steve Jobs to complain about the font size on iPhones

Speaking to the New York Post, the producer, who wasn't named in the Post's May 2020 story, said the call to Jobs came after DeGeneres lost her glasses and couldn't read a text on her phone. 

"She stopped everything and made a call. Next thing we know, we literally hear Steve Jobs pick up and say, 'Hi, Ellen' … Ellen told him the iPhone should have a bigger font," the producer said. 

"That's her," the former producer continued. "It's not that she's some demon. She just lives in an incredibly privileged bubble and is out of touch with the real world."

In early July 2020, the hashtag '#RIPEllen' began trending on X — even though DeGeneres was alive and well

After speculation that DeGeneres' popular talk show was going to be canceled, some Twitter users reportedly took things further by spreading false news of DeGeneres' "death." 

According to a story from the New York Post published on July 7, people on social media claimed the host had taken her own life in response to the impending "cancellation" of her show — even though the host was still very much alive. 

Producers confirmed with the Post that DeGeneres' show would not be canceled, but that didn't stop users from continuing to use the "#RIPEllen" hashtag in their posts. 

Some people shared photos of DeGeneres' celebrity lookalikes (including Jane Lynch's character from "Glee" and Katy Perry), along with their joking condolences for the talk show host. Others noted that the death hoax came after a turbulent past few months for DeGeneres.

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An internal investigation into the workplace culture at DeGeneres' show was launched in 2020.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

News broke in late July 2020 that WarnerMedia, the distributor of 'The Ellen Show,' was launching an internal investigation into the show's workplace culture

Variety reported an "employee relations group and a third-party firm" would conduct the investigation, interviewing current and former employees about their time on set. This news also followed an exposé from BuzzFeed News.

The investigation came after a turbulent past few months for DeGeneres, the show, and some of its employees, who were reportedly left in the dark about pay and hours during the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Shortly thereafter, an Australian radio host said he was instructed not to look at or talk to DeGeneres when working with her in 2013

During a segment on his radio show "4BC Breakfast" on July 28, Neil Breen said he worked as an executive producer on the Australian "Today" show.

According to Breen, DeGeneres' involvement in the episode "got watered-down" from co-hosting to doing a sit-down interview in Melbourne, where Breen and his crew had to fly ("at our own expense") to tape the segment. 

Australian TV presenter Richard Wilkins was set to interview DeGeneres, but Breen said he and the rest of his team received a very specific set of rules when working with her. 

"Because it's 'The Ellen Show,' they controlled everything," Breen explained. "They controlled the interview seats, the lights, how it would work, everything."

"The producers called us aside and said, 'This is how it's going to work here this morning. Ellen's going to arrive at 10:15, and she'll be sitting in this chair here. And Richard, you'll be sitting in this chair here,'" he continued.

According to Breen, DeGeneres' team told him, "Neil, no one's to talk to Ellen. You don't talk to her, you don't approach her, you don't look at her. She'll come in, she'll sit down, she'll talk to Richard, then Ellen will leave." 

Breen said he found the whole thing "bizarre." 

"I'm not blaming Ellen because I didn't get to talk to her. I don't know whether she's a nice person or not. I wouldn't have a clue," he said. "But I can tell you, the people who worked with her walked on eggshells the whole time." 

DeGeneres addressed 'issues' at her show with a letter to staff in late July 2020

In the letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres took responsibility for the overall issues on her set.

She didn't directly address any allegations of her personal actions but said she was "disappointed to learn" that people working for her did not feel happy or respected on set.

"As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done," DeGeneres wrote. "Clearly some didn't. That will now change, and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

The host referenced WarnerMedia's ongoing investigation and apologized at the beginning and end of the letter to anyone who was not treated with fairness and respect. 

'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Brad Garrett said DeGeneres mistreating people is 'common knowledge'

"Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow. Know more than one who were treated horribly by her.⁩ Common knowledge," Garrett wrote on X on July 30. 

And "Back to the Future" star Lea Thompson agreed, responding to a post from People magazine about Garrett's comments. 

"True story. It is," she wrote. 

scooter braun ellen degeneres
Scooter Braun came to DeGeneres' defense.

Kevin Mazur/TCA 2012 /Getty Images

Scooter Braun came to DeGeneres' defense on August 1, and a producer for the show said 'nobody is going off the air' about cancellation rumors

Braun, who managed stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, defended the comedian in a series of posts on X.

"People love to take shots at people. They love to see people fall. How quickly so many forget," he wrote.

Braun called DeGeneres a "kind, thoughtful, courageous human being who stands for what is right" and "has helped change the views for equality." He explained that he felt compelled to speak up because he has a "firsthand" perspective of how DeGeneres "helps so many" both on and off her show.

"She isn't about what is popular she is about what is right. Sending love to Ellen today," Braun wrote.

 

In response to a fan's post about DeGeneres' show potentially being canceled, executive producer Andy Lassner said, "Nobody is going off the air." 

A report suggested that James Corden could replace DeGeneres should her show go off the air

A British newspaper reported on August 1 that James Corden was "in line" to replace Ellen DeGeneres should she quit her namesake show.

The report led some people on Twitter to share stories in which they accused the "Late Late Show" host of behaving in a problematic way, too.

The Sun reported that Corden appeared to be in contention as a "long-term successor" to DeGeneres, citing an anonymous source at NBC who said Corden "was being eyed for Ellen's job in the long term" before any of the complaints against her "came to light."

The Sun's source described Corden as "a natural fit" for DeGeneres' job.

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Former producer Hedda Muskat spoke about working on DeGeneres' talk show.

Joshua Blanchard/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images/Chris Pizzello/AP

In early August, several other ex-employees of DeGeneres came forward to share their experiences with her on-set

Former producer Hedda Muskat told The Wrap about an incident during a staff meeting where new-at-the-time executive producers Ed Glavin and Mary Connelly were introduced to the rest of the existing team. 

Muskat said Glavin screamed at one member of staff in front of everybody else. "He just went off on them. His whole face turned red…We were stunned."

"I was waiting for Ellen to say something. 'Whoa, Ed, don't talk like that,'" Muskat said. "Do you know what she did? She giggled. She crossed her legs up on the chair and she said, 'Well, I guess every production needs their dog.' And from then we knew. Ed was going to be the barking dog — her dog."

"I had never seen this before. I had never been around a toxic host," she added. 

And former DJ for "The Ellen Show" Tony Okungbowa shared a statement about his experience shortly thereafter. 

"While I am grateful for the opportunity it afforded me, I did experience and feel the toxicity of the environment and I stand with my former colleagues in their quest to create a healthier and more inclusive workplace as the show moves forward," Okungbowa wrote on Instagram. 

'The Ellen Show' had its season 18 premiere in September 2020, and DeGeneres addressed the allegations in her opening monologue

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" returned on September 21 after a summer hiatus. 

"I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously," DeGeneres began. "I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected."

"I know that I'm in a position of privilege and power. And I realized that with that comes responsibility," she continued. "And I take responsibility for what happens at my show. This is 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.'" 

"We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace, and what we want for the future. We have made the necessary changes and today, we are starting a new chapter," DeGeneres said.

DeGeneres was called out by people on social media in late October 2020 for her 'superhero' nurse costume

DeGeneres shared a clip of herself in the costume on X, along with the caption, "My costume this year is inspired by the real superheroes of 2020." 

While the host was seemingly referencing the important work that doctors, nurses, and other essential workers have done during the coronavirus pandemic this year, people were more focused on the reports that DeGeneres treated staff and collaborators poorly. 

"Who are the real superheroes? People who treat their staff well?" one person wrote. 

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Dakota Johnson's appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2019 went viral.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show"/ NBC

In November 2020, people online celebrated the 1-year anniversary of Dakota Johnson calling out DeGeneres on her show

Dakota Johnson's famously awkward interview with Ellen DeGeneres in November 2019 was shared widely online.

During the interview, Johnson kindly but firmly corrected DeGeneres when DeGeneres accused the actress of not inviting her to a birthday party.

"Actually, no, that's not the truth, Ellen," Johnson said after DeGeneres brought up the snub.

The actress called on several of DeGeneres' producers to back her up (at about the 50-second mark in the video below).

 

People on X later called the uncomfortable interview a "cultural reset" and commended Johnson for
"destroying" DeGeneres.

The host revealed she tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020

DeGeneres first shared news of her diagnosis on December 10, writing on X, "Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, I'm feeling fine right now." 

"Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines," DeGeneres continued, referencing advice from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Following DeGeneres' diagnosis, production was halted on her talk show until January. 

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DeGeneres joked about her experience with COVID-19 on an episode of her show.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show/EllenTube

She later got candid about her experience with the virus during a January 2021 episode of her show

"Obviously there are a lot of negative things going on, so I wanted to talk about something positive: my COVID test," DeGeneres joked in the opening monologue of her January 13 episode. 

According to DeGeneres, she tested positive for the virus "before the holidays," but recovered. 

The host revealed that she was backstage getting ready for her talk show when she received news of her positive test. 

"I was in hair and makeup...and then my assistant Craig walks in and says, 'You tested positive for COVID,'" DeGeneres said. 

"And then everyone around me ran away," she continued. "It's funny, people just really get scared." 

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Internet personality Trisha Paytas appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2010.

Christopher Polk / Getty Images / TheEllenShow / YouTube

But around the same time, YouTuber Trisha Paytas said she was told not to touch DeGeneres or look her in the eye 

Paytas spoke about her experience on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" during an episode of her podcast "Frenemies," which she hosts with H3H3's Ethan Klein, calling DeGeneres "a bitch" and saying that she wasn't allowed to touch her.

Paytas appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2010 when she was 22 years old to showcase her speed-reading talent during an audience talent segment.

In the clip, Paytas gushed over DeGeneres, reaching out to touch her and then pulling her hand back, saying that she shouldn't touch the host before launching into a whirlwind recitation of what appears to be DeGeneres' book, "My Point... And I Do Have One."

Paytas said that, in a pre-Instagram era, she wanted to be famous and made her way onto the show via posting on YouTube.

"My thought was, if I go on all these shows someone will discover me," she said on the podcast. "I thought Ellen was gonna discover me and I was gonna be like, a cohost of hers. That was my thought process."

 

Her experience on set didn't live up to her expectations, though, she said.

"When all that stuff started coming out [about Ellen], I was like, that makes sense because she was so awful. Literally, would not talk. They tell you..., 'Don't look in her eyes, don't touch her,'" Paytas said, referencing past statements from celebrities and everyday people that painted DeGeneres as mean or cold.

Celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry, and DeGeneres' wife Portia de Rossi spoke out in support of the host

"I haven't spoken with @TheEllenShow and can only speak from my own experience," Kutcher posted on X in early August. "She & her team have only treated me & my team w/ respect & kindness. She never pandered to celebrity which I always saw as a refreshing honesty. When things aren't right she handles it and fixes."

Kutcher was subsequently called out by fans who accused him of letting his celebrity status potentially influence his opinion. 

Other stars who voiced support for DeGeneres included Katy Perry, who wrote on X that she has "only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen & on the @theellenshow," and DeGeneres' wife De Rossi, who shared an uplifting message to Instagram. 

But other stars, like Brad Garrett and Ryan Phillippe, haven't been as supportive

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Ryan Phillippe called out DeGeneres on Instagram.

Jim Spellman/WireImage and Steve Granitz/WireImage

In addition to Garrett and Thompson, Phillippe also spoke out against DeGeneres. 

In late October 2020, Ryan Phillippe mocked DeGeneres' famous "be kind" mantra on social media. 

The "Cruel Intentions" actor shared a picture of himself posing in front of a poster of DeGeneres to his Instagram story, with the caption, "And remember to be kind... wait." 

'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' came to an end in May 2022 after 19 seasons

 

DeGeneres got emotional as she reflected on her journey on daytime TV and encouraged her audience to lead with compassion.

"If someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them even if you don't understand," she said. "They are showing you who they are and that's the biggest gift anybody can ever give you. By opening your heart and your mind, you are going to be that much more compassionate. Compassion is what makes the world a better place."

"If this show has made you smile, if it has lifted you up when you're in a period of some type of pain, some type of sadness, anything you are going through, then I have done my job," she added. "Because of this platform we have been able to change people's lives. This show has forever changed my life. It is the greatest experience I have ever had, beyond my wildest imagination."

The series finale, which aired on May 26, included appearances from Pink, Jennifer Aniston, and Billie Eilish.

In September 2022, singer Greyson Chance called DeGeneres 'manipulative'

Chance rose to fame as a 12-year-old, after a video of him playing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" on piano went viral. Shortly after, DeGeneres reached out to Chance and he went on to appear on her show. 

Chance told Rolling Stone that he recalled DeGeneres assuring his mom that she'd never have to work again. The singer said that DeGeneres told him, "I'm going to protect you. I'm going to be here for you. We're going to do this together."

 

After his appearance on the talk show, Chance said that DeGeneres gave him $10,000 and a new piano, signed him to a record label she co-created, and got him set up with representation in Hollywood. But over time, she "became domineering and way too controlling," Chance said.

According to the singer, DeGeneres "completely abandoned" him once his career slumped and the hype died down.

"I've never met someone more manipulative, more self-centered, and more blatantly opportunistic than her," he said.

DeGeneres addressed the end of her talk show during her stand-up tour in 2024, calling it 'devastating'

"Ellen's Last Stand…Up Tour" kicked off in West Hollywood in April. According to Rolling Stone, she cracked plenty of jokes about the end of her run on daytime TV.

"I got kicked out of show business. There's no mean people in show business," DeGeneres joked during the set.

"The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind. I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps," she continued. "Do you know how hard it is to dance up steps? Would a mean person dance up steps? Had I ended my show by saying, 'Go fuck yourself,' people would've been pleasantly surprised."

Jokes aside, DeGeneres said that what happened to her was "devastating."

"I just hated the way the show ended," she said. "I love that show so much and I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way."

Reflecting on the backlash, the comedian said, "It's been such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem. There's such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolize you or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder."

At another stop on her tour in July 2024, DeGeneres alluded to plans to step away from the spotlight

Ellen DeGeneres in Washington, DC in November 2022.
DeGeneres recently hinted at fans seeing less of her in the future.

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Live Nation

According to SFGate, DeGeneres jokingly said that she "got kicked out of show business for being mean."

"I used to say, 'I don't care what people say about me.' Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity," the comedian said.

DeGeneres also pushed back against her reputation.  

"I am many things, but I am not mean," she said.

When asked about the possibility of appearing on Broadway or in movies during the Q&A portion of the stand-up show, DeGeneres said, "Um, no."

"This is the last time you're going to see me. After my Netflix special, I'm done," she said, referring to a comedy special in the works with the streamer that's scheduled for release sometime this year. 

Libby Torres contributed to a previous version of this article.

Read the original article on Business Insider


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