What’s the Meaning Behind the Name of Ellen DeGeneres’ Final Stand-Up Special?

Despite claims that she’s been “kicked out of show business,” Ellen DeGeneres has a new stand-up special coming out, which Netflix just announced will drop on September 24th. The streamer also boasted that the former talk show host will “talk about it.”

And by “it,” we can only assume they mean the time that Ellen pretended that she hadn’t been invited to Dakota Johnson’s birthday party.

Of course, the special will also no doubt address the allegations that DeGeneres fostered a “toxic work environment” at her show, which included incidents of "harassment, sexual misconduct and assault from top producers" — although just how “insulated” DeGeneres was from these alleged crimes was a matter of some debate among her staff. This is also the first time we’ve learned of the name of the Netflix special, which is Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval. 

But what does that mean, exactly?

At first glance, the phrase “for your approval” has a whiff of office-culture lingo, specifically messages sent to one’s boss to clear. Which could mean that the special will find Ellen reckoning with her culpability in heading up a workplace that allegedly hurt so many people. 

According to published accounts of Ellen’s stand-up tour, the comedian did address her role as a boss, while claiming it was a job that she never really wanted, reportedly likening it to Ronald McDonald becoming the “CEO of McDonald’s.” She also suggested that, after reflecting on her history of “jump-scare pranks” and prolonged games of tag, “I realized I was chasing my employees and terrorizing them.” 

Although that didn’t exactly seem to be at the top of the list of complaints from the Ellen show’s staffers who, according to some reports, weren’t allowed to “engage Ellen in conversation or even look her in the eye.” Then there was the controversial decision to nix Ellen’s unionized stage workers during the pandemic while the host filmed the show from her home. 

Again, we don’t know if DeGeneres was party to all of these behind-the-scenes details, but they involved a show that was literally just her first name and stood in stark contrast to the overly-generous, perpetually folksy persona she’d built up over the past several decades. She did apologize on the air back in 2020; however, it wasn’t good enough for some, and the show ended after receiving “fizzling ratings.” 

The other way one could interpret For Your Approval is by viewing this as Ellen’s appeal to the masses for, if not forgiveness, than acceptance; she’s overtly looking for the “approval” of her audience once again. 

But this bumps up against Ellen’s claims that she’s no longer a part of showbiz, and that this will be her last stand-up performance ever. That said, she could always be pulling a Barbra Streisand-esque fake-out. And, per one audience member who caught DeGeneres’ recent tour, “Ellen said she’s stopped caring what people think.”

Perhaps the title is supposed to be sarcastic?

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