Ellen DeGeneres got candid on how she stopped “caring” about what others thought about her after facing criticism over the toxic workplace scandal, in her latest stand-up special on Netflix, For Your Approval.
The ex-talk show presenter and host told the crowd that she is "proud" of who she has become four years after being called "mean" and accused of overseeing a terrible workplace.
“When you’re a public figure, you’re open to everyone’s interpretation. And I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that, ‘What other people think of me is none of my business.’ Because people will say all kinds of things and you have no control over that. But you know the truth and that’s all that matters,” she shared.
While she stated that her career as a comic drove her to "care what people think" as a measure of success, DeGeneres admitted she's tired of worrying about how others perceive her, especially after letting the "mean" label "consume" her.
“If they like you, you’re in, and if they don’t, you’re out. And I’ve spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy and I’ve cared far too much what other people think of me.
So, the thought of anyone thinking that I’m mean was devastating to me, and it consumed me for a long time,” she continued.
“After a lifetime of caring, I just can’t anymore. So I don’t,” she added.
“But if I’m being honest… and I have a choice of people remembering me as someone who was mean or someone who was beloved. Be-lov-ed? Beloved? Beloved. Someone who is beloved?” the comedian further pulled on.
“I choose that.”