Ellen DeGeneres makes a bold 2024 comeback with Netflix and Finding Nemo return
Ellen DeGeneres is poised for a huge Hollywood comeback after fleeing Tinseltown amid a slew of bullying accusations. The embattled comedian, 68, will reprise her role as the loveable fish Dory in Disney's billion-dollar Finding Nemo franchise. According to Deadline, DeGeneres will voice Dory in an upcoming short film. DeGeneres previously voiced Dory in 2003's Finding Nemo and then again in 2016's Finding Dory. The 2016 sequel grossed $1.029 billion at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time. It was also DeGeneres' final film role, although the former talk show host continued appearing on television until around 2021, when her public image took a nosedive following allegations of bullying and misconduct. DeGeneres' scandal was sparked by a single tweet penned by comedian Kevin T. Porter in March 2020 asking people for 'the most insane stories you've heard about Ellen being mean,' which amassed thousands of replies. Four months later, BuzzFeed News published an exposé featuring one current and 10 former employees of the Louisiana-born star's now-defunct daytime talk show alleging racism, workplace bullying, and sexual harassment. By August 2020, WarnerMedia had launched an internal investigation and executive producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman, and Jonathan Norman were all fired from the show. DeGeneres also issued a formal apology to her 255 employees. DeGeneres - who also apologized to fans on air - broadcast her final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 26, 2022 after 19 seasons. She later branded the backlash 'a coordinated misogynistic' attack on her. Reflecting on the experience in 2022, she told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I have to just trust that whatever happened during that time, which was obviously very, very difficult, happened for a reason. I think that I learned a lot, and there were some things that came up that I was shocked and surprised by. It was eye-opening, but I just trust that that had to happen.' After a lengthy hiatus, she stepped back in front of the camera for her 2024 Netflix special titled Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval. However, upon its release, the project garnered mixed to negative reviews, with a score of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. Last year, the Daily Mail revealed a host of explosive allegations about the behind-the-scenes antics on DeGeneres' now-defunct daytime show, as told by a former staffer. The source described a sense of fear from DeGeneres' employees, as well as a prank played by them in an attempt to mock her allegedly childish behavior. Meanwhile, DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi fled the US for the UK following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election. Last year, she spoke with English broadcaster Richard Bacon at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham about her decision to relocate. DeGeneres said that she and wife de Rossi were also considering tying the knot again in the UK after some moves in the US to reverse the right to gay marriage. She and de Rossi now appear to be splitting their time between England and celebrity-studded Montecito, which is also home to Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ariana Grande.
