Ellen Addresses the Controversy in Season 18 Premiere

Ellen returns to television today for its 18th season, and I can’t wait to hear her spill the tea on all of the drama that has surrounded her for the past year.

Back in July, Buzz Feed News published a report in which one current and 10 former staffers anonymously spoke about their experiences on set. Instances of racial microaggression and fear of retribution for raising complaints were among the accusations put forth, which launched an internal investigation by Warner Brothers in August.

Ellen was originally scheduled to return to the airwaves on September 9, but the day has finally come for Ellen’s return, and yes, she talks about the whirlwind of a year she has had.

She offered a sneak peek of her opening monologue for the new season on her official Instagram, and she dives headfirst into the drama, sprinkling in some humor, staying true to her comedic personality.

“If you’re watching because you love me, thank you. If you’re watching because you hate me, welcome!” she began.

All I wanted to hear was whether or not she would outwardly apologize to the anonymous workers who catapulted the year of "canceling" Ellen.

But the Instagram tease only went so deep.

“I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show," she said.

I’m happy to see she chose to address this instead of sweeping it under the rug, but let’s face it, that’s impossible in 2020. I would have liked to see her apologize for specific accusations because now, I feel like they actually happened.

Did she actually get mad at people for using vacation time? Did she actually get angry at a woman for having chipped nail polish? Both of these accusations were thrown about, and I was hoping she would knock them down.

She finished up the monologue by saying that “today, we are starting a new chapter,” and it’s very clear she would like to put this all behind her. She was adamant that the Ellen we’ve seen for the past decade is her true self, but she’s not perfect. She’s a “work in progress.”

I’m dying to see the rest of the episode and I would love to see more direct apologies instead of lumping them into one giant “I’m sorry.”