Ellen DeGeneres baffles fans on Graham Norton Show

Ellen DeGeneres made a baffling return to television on Friday, appearing on The Graham Norton Show at age 68—without promoting any new project ^[1]. The former talk show host, who stepped away after her show was cancelled in 2022, said she misses being on screen, noting she has 'nothing really going on' and that she 'really misses being on TV'—particularly the shared laughter with writers and audiences. Her comments sparked confusion among viewers, many of whom questioned why she’d been invited, especially given her absence from the spotlight since the workplace bullying allegations emerged.

The allegations, which surfaced in 2020, accused DeGeneres of fostering a toxic environment on her show, with claims of racism, bullying, and sexual harassment ^[1]. Former employees described her as running her workplace like a ‘bootcamp’, ‘laying traps’ for staff, and consistently choosing the opposite of kindness. Despite the controversy, she maintained her public persona as the ‘queen of nice’, closing each show with a call to ‘be kind to one another’—a message that now appears deeply ironic to many.

DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, fled the US after Donald Trump’s re-election in November 2024, moving to a $18 million Cotswolds home ^[1]. That property was later hit by severe flooding from Storm Bert, followed by complaints from locals over construction work. The couple has since relocated to a new property just 30 minutes away. According to a source cited by The Mail on Sunday, there is a possibility the couple could return to the US, though this has not been confirmed. It was later revealed that Ellen and Portia purchased a $27 million Montecito home in November 2025.

Reflecting on her legacy, DeGeneres recalled the reception to her groundbreaking sitcom, which featured the first openly gay lead on US TV. She said it was ‘an honour’ to be celebrated in London when the US had ‘not been very thrilled’ ^[1]. She has previously told The Hollywood Reporter she believes the turmoil ‘happened for a reason’ and that she learned from it. The story was first reported by Daily Mail Showbiz and Daily Mail.