Ellen DeGeneres Comedy Special: She Talks Hilariously About Being Kicked Out Of Show Business

Ellen DeGeneres announced a new - and final - Netflix special a few months back. She said it would be her last, and said she would get very personal. From the trailer, it looks like she did - and it looks hilarious.

I started doing comedy way back when, in San Francisco. the first stage time I got when I moved to SF, was at the - now defunct, sadly - Holy City Zoo. I went on and did my five minutes, before a newer comedian, named Ellen DeGeneres, got onstage. This Ellen lady had an original and different style, and cadence. I thought she was a pretty funny comedian. As we know now - I was right! (Lol)

Ellen's new - and final - Netflix Comedy Special special, For Your Approval looks like quite an honest piece of funny. In the trailer she talks about the headline a few years back: “The ‘Be Kind’ girl wasn’t kind."

Toxic workplace claims hit The Ellen Show during the pandemic. The claims led to an investigation, and several higher-ups were let go. She opened her new season that year with a lengthy apology. But, in my opinion, the show was just never the same after that. How could it be? As a viewer you know something has happened, and as a host, things are very different now. Ellen left her show in 2022, after 19 seasons. Not a bad run.

She says in the trailer. “Here’s the problem, I’m a comedian who got a talk show and I ended the show every day by saying, ‘Be kind to one another.’ Had I ended the show," well - a different way (I don't want to give it away, because it's PRICELESS) - things might be different.

The allegations definitely impacted her life. Her whole show, and philosophy, was about making people happy, and spreading kindness.

According to DeGeneres, For Your Approval will be her final comedy special. In it, she hilariously talks about being "kicked out of show business," and what she has been doing since - raising chickens and parallel parking.

She says she went into show business to heal her childhood wounds. “I thought, if I could make people happy, they’ll like me. And if they like me, I’ll feel good about myself,” she says. “And all I can say about that is, thank God for the money.”

From the trailer of For Your Approval, I see a little edgier Ellen DeGeneres. But still that extremely likeable, and damn funny comedian I got to share the stage with at the Holy City Zoo, in San Francisco, many, many years ago.

Ellen DeGeneres', For Your Approval, hits Netflix September 24.

Who are the five funniest sitcom characters of all time? There are a lot to choose from, but for the sake of this list, we're sticking with five. Who are you picking?

Understandably, everyone will have their own list of the funniest sitcom characters of all time. We all find different things funny and can relate to different characters and the wild situations they find themselves in. However, I'm sure there are many that we can all agree on.

Just like we all find different things, people, and situations funny--we probably all watch different shows. If you have an older sibling, they might have a different list than you because they grew up watching different sitcoms. I'm sure our parents would have different people on their lists that wouldn't make it onto ours.

Usually, I like to consider the greater population when making these best of lists. I don't want it to be characters or shows that I consider to be the best of all time; I want it to apply to everyone. However, this time around, I'm mixing it up. I'm not stating these are the funniest sitcom characters ever; I'm just saying that these are the five I would put on my list. If you disagree, you're more than welcome to reach out and let me know your feelings. I can be found at @CortFreeman on Twitter (er, X, whatever).

I'm certain that at least one of these characters will make your list. Some of these cannot be argued and are solidified as one of the funniest sitcom characters ever. Others are definitely up for debate and you might be surprised to see them on the list. Spoiler Alert: you might disagree with number 5 but I stand by him being one of the greatest TV characters ever. I wish we were given more of him.

Before we get to the list, I should highlight some honorable mentions. I'm a huge fan of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but it's one of those shows where all of the characters are equally funny. I don't know if I could choose who's funnier: Charlie, Dennis, Frank, Mac, or Dee? You can't pick one! Likewise, I'm a huge fan of Modern Family but even Phil Dunphy couldn't rise above and make the final five. Characters from Parks & Rec, Arrested Development, and 30 Rock also were considered but ended up on the cutting room floor.

Now, let's get to the list! Are these the five funniest sitcom characters of all-time?

https://youtu.be/jVJ7Vs3Y10w?si=mpq93-S7TxXYXNdX You had to have seen this coming. I don't think George Costanza is one of the funniest sitcom character of all-time, I think he is the funniest. How he reacts in the situations he finds himself in is nothing short of gold. It's not always the best decision, but it always leads to more problems--which is hilarious. No character can compete with George.

https://youtu.be/IBJJrZ5LAVQ?si=VkVMo_vqEdJ5RUfJ Don't think Michael Scott belongs on the list? Just check out the episodes and seasons without him on The Office. You'll change your mind pretty fast. He carried the show and we've never seen a character quite like him. How he straddles that fine line between being likable and unlikable is beyond me. He tried hard and wanted to be liked, and that might have been his biggest flaw.

Is having Larry David on the list like having George Constanza on it twice? Probably. However, it's deserved. If you weren't aware, the character of George on Seinfeld was based on Larry David. Some of the things that happened to George even happened to Larry in real life! The main difference, I believe, is that George wants to be accepted into society and Larry wants to shun it. Long live Larry!

My friends say I'm a Ross, but I still have to acknowledge that Joey is one of the funniest sitcom characters ever. Sure, his solo spin-off flopped. However, that's not on the character! He did all he could. Watching Joey try and fail as an actor was always hilarious. As they say in the South, "bless his heart." If Joey was in the scene, you could be confident that a laugh was coming. Yes, Chandler was "the funny one" in their group of friends but Joey was the funniest to the audience.

https://youtu.be/imf0cd7Pnj4?si=PLersE70RNP74C86 This one might come as a surprise, but I absolutely stand by it. T.J. Miller's performance as Erlich Bachman will go down as one of the best ever. Nobody else could have done what Miller did in that role. I strongly believe he will go down as one of the best TV characters ever. His back and forth with Jiang-Yang is great every time. The show was different once he left and I will forever be left wondering what could have been.

I understand that Elrich might not be as familiar of a character compared to others on the list, so allow me to take a second to introduce him. Essentially, he's everything wrong with people in Tech. He's brash, obnoxious, and thinks he's above everyone when in reality--he's not what he thinks he is. He likens himself to Steve Jobs and visionaries, but probably skews closer to the people these icons knew and left behind years ago. Erlich had one good idea that he scored a lot of cash with, and now he thinks that he's elevated to a new level. However, he's kind of like the Quarterback in High School who's still talking about it 15 years after graduating. While I would never want to be friends with Erlich, I greatly enjoyed watching him. If you haven't watched the show, you can stream it on Max. It's well worth your time.