Five months after the end of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, its 64-year-old host is back with a new series that showcases what she’s doing in retirement.
Time For Yourself debuted over the weekend on The Ellen Show’s YouTube.
In the first episode, DeGeneres appeared wearing a knitted sweater, saying she had lately been taking some time for herself, “away from the cameras” following the end of her long-running talk show.
“I’ve been having such a great time I thought I would share some of what I’ve been doing with you,” she said.
DeGeneres revealed she had been crocheting in her time away from the spotlight.
Saying everyone should “take time for themselves”, she explained she just learned the craft and promised it wasn’t too hard.
Every week in her new show, DeGeneres will showcase a new skill or hobby that fans can pick up too.
People reported there will be episodes about birdwatching and card making featured in the future.
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Allegations didn’t stop Ellen’s show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show wrapped up earlier this year, in an emotional episode that welcomed back Jennifer Aniston, the first guest on the show.
She announced her once-popular talk show would end back in 2021, about a year after allegations emerged that behind the scenes of the popular show was a toxic work environment.
The allegations were first published by Buzzfeed News in 2020.
Former employees alleged DeGeneres’ ‘be kind’ persona was an act and away from the cameras, staff say they were mistreated.
The former employees claimed they faced racism, fear and intimidation.
DeGeneres apologised during the show’s 18th season, and said she took responsibility and had apologised to those who were affected.
After announcing her talk show would end in 2022, DeGeneres admitted the allegations made against her were “hurtful” and they “almost” affected the show.
However, she maintains her decision to call it quits was not a result of the allegations.
“If I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021.
She also said she found some of the claims aired in 2020 were “so stupid”, saying there were stories about how people had to chew gum before talking to her.
