Ellen DeGeneres’ Final Special Is All Ego, No Substance

“I’m happy not being a boss or a brand or a billboard, just a person,” Ellen DeGeneres says near the end of her new hour on Netflix, For Your Approval. It would be a meaningful sentiment if DeGeneres properly dug into fame in her final stand-up special, or the shitty workplace culture that led to the end of her eponymous talk show. That statement would have weight if she didn’t so clearly still seek the public’s affection or seemed like a normal human being, rather than a multi-millionaire grasping at the most banal topics in order to appear “relatable.” Instead, in this indulgent hour-plus production, DeGeneres aims for easy laughs from her extant fans, all in the hopes of winning the approval she so desperately needs but doesn’t earn.

It’s apparent from the outset that this is an exercise in ego. In the opening segment, DeGeneres stares in her dressing room mirror as her career flashes before her eyes, from her historically coming out, to her glory days dancing on stage and benignly interviewing celebs, to her public downfall in 2020. This is done with no irony or awareness at how over-the-top it all is; it plays out with a sincerity as if DeGeneres’ story is horrible, pitiable, and must be righted. 

In case you’ve forgotten, let’s recap why DeGeneres’ show was canceled—but not the woman herself because she literally has a Netflix special. A reminder yet again that cancel culture isn’t real; it’s a marketing tactic. In 2020, Buzzfeed News spoke with Ellen staffers—all of them opting for anonymity out of fear of punishment—who lost their jobs for daring to take time off for mental health leave following a suicide attempt or for family funerals, experienced racism in the workplace, and more. Variety broke the story about the show’s lack of communication with employees regarding pay and health when coronavirus hit. Then there was  As one ex-Ellen staff member told Buzzfeed News, “If she wants to have her own show and have her name on the show title, she needs to be more involved to see what’s going on.”

But she never wanted to be a boss! That’s DeGeneres’ big excuse partway through the special. She never wanted the responsibility, so it’s not her fault if she wasn’t responsible! Then she tries to blame sexism for why she was canceled—the public wanted her to be nice as a boss because she’s a woman, see? It’s some hollow fake feminist bullshit. DeGeneres tries to use her gender as a pass for being an asshole. And to be clear, I don’t think people (myself included) are asking her to prostrate herself, begging for forgiveness. A straightforward apology and some accountability would be steps in the right direction, but that’s not the DeGeneres way. 

If you haven’t noticed so far, I haven’t talked much about her jokes, and that’s because they’re just not that funny. She has a long bit about all the confusing mechanisms in our cars, the sort of tired observational stuff that would be right at home in an old Jerry Seinfeld set. There’s nary an original or exciting thought to be found, but you’d never know thanks to the sycophantic laughter blaring from the audience. For god’s sake, they gave her a standing ovation just for walking on stage. Her jokes about her chickens were passable, and it feels telling that DeGeneres goes on and on again in the special about how much she loves animals. She’ll rescue anything! Just don’t ask her to be a good boss to human beings, that’s too much. 

DeGeneres doesn’t have much to say in For Your Approval, other than a limp plea for the public’s adoration. At least there would be something compelling to write about if she’d doubled down on an asshole persona. Instead, we’re left with a wishy-washy hour that asks us to care about DeGeneres again, without giving us any reason to in the first place.

For Your Approval is now streaming on Netflix. 

Clare Martin is a cemetery enthusiast and Paste’s assistant comedy editor. Go harass her on Twitter @theclaremartin.