Ellen DeGeneres says ‘devastating’ bully accusations affected Portia de Rossi marriage

‘It took a long time for me to want to do anything again,’ said the former talk show host

Ellen DeGeneres has revealed how “devastating” bullying accusations impacted her marriage to wife of 16 years, Portia de Rossi.

The 66-year-old comedian was forced to end the Ellen DeGeneres Show after a Buzzfeed News investigation accused it of fostering a toxic work environment, with alleged sexual misconduct, racism and workplace bullying taking place behind the scenes.

The claims came as a shock to viewers who knew DeGeneres as an upbeat and positive character on-screen. DeGeneres has now addressed the backlash she received during a stand-up comedy show.

“I’m making jokes about what happened to me, but it was devastating,” she told a sold-out crowd at her show Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour in Los Angeles. “It took a long time for me to want to do anything again.”

DeGeneres reported being considered a “one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps.”

Reflecting on the impact the accusations and fallout had on her marriage she said, “It’s hard to dance when you’re crying.”

According to Rolling Stone, the comedian said the “funk” began to damage her relationship with her wife of 16 years, Arrested Development star Portia de Rossi, as she struggled to leave her home during the “hard time”.

DeGeneres said: “She was watching it happen to me... she went through it with me.”

The couple first met in 2001 when de Rossi hadn’t yet come out as a gay woman. They began dating in 2004 and tied the knot once gay marriage became legal in California in 2008.

The couple have been married for nearly 16 years (Getty Images for The Recording A)

The pair celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary last August with DeGeneres posting a photograph of herself with de Rossi on the deck of a yacht with a backdrop of the ocean behind them.

“To my wife of 15 years,” DeGeneres wrote in the caption. “I fall more in love with you every day. My life is blessed because you’re in it. Happy anniversary.”

Commenting on the backlash to the revelations, DeGeneres added: “The hate went on for a long time and I would try to avoid looking at the news. The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline.”

The star added, as per Rolling Stone: “It’s been such a toll on my ego and my self-esteem. There’s such extremes in this business, people either love you and idolize you or they hate you, and those people somehow are louder.”

DeGeneres said she “hated the way the show ended” because she “loved that show so much.”