LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The opening of comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ recently released standup special, ‘For Your Approval’, has led to accusations that she is “copying” pop diva Taylor Swift.

The show’s introduction, shared on X (formerly Twitter), ignited debate over its alleged similarity to the start of Taylor Swift’s 2018 Reputation Tour, where the pop star highlighted negative headlines about herself, as per Newsweek.

Ellen DeGeneres’ comedy special blasted for ‘copying’ Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour

After a break of more than two years, the former host of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ has returned to TV. The comedian’s Emmy-winning show concluded in 2022 following concerns about a toxic workplace culture, according to the Daily Mail.

In July 2020, a Buzzfeed News article detailing multiple accusations about toxic conditions behind the scenes of DeGeneres’ show dealt a significant blow to the star’s reputation.

During the Netflix special, recorded earlier this year and released on Tuesday, September 24, Ellen DeGeneres, 66, discussed feeling “kicked out of showbusiness” following a wave of negative stories.

In the show’s opening, Ellen DeGeneres directly addressed the media attention surrounding her. A voiceover asks, “Is the queen of nice really the queen of mean?” as DeGeneres lets out a sigh.

Following that, a rapid series of disparaging headlines and social media posts criticizing DeGeneres appeared on screen.

Shortly after the special aired, the show’s opening ignited debate over its alleged resemblance to the trailer of Taylor Swift’s 2018 Reputation Tour, which also showcased the pop star sharing disparaging headlines about herself.

An X user uploaded the introduction, describing it as “so ridiculous.” The post has garnered over 7 million views as of this writing.

Netizens slam Ellen DeGeneres’ comedy special for its similarities with Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour

Many X users responded to the post with keen interest, with several noting that Ellen DeGeneres’ comedy special opening bore a striking similarity to Taylor Swift’s 2018 tour.

One such X user wrote, “Why’s Ellen’s special look like it’s about to announce reputation Taylor’s version.”

A second user added, “This is beat for beat the opening of the reputation tour.”

“This is copying reputation tour intro,” a user chimed in.

Another wrote, “The reputation tour,” while one added, “This is beat for that the opening of the are reputation tour Enjoy for life.”

“Reputation era coded!” exclaimed one, while one said, “This is just like the starrt of the Reputation tour.”

Netflix’s ‘For Your Approval’ expected to be Ellen DeGeneres’ final comedy special

In June, Ellen DeGeneres kicked off a multi-city stand-up tour titled ‘Ellen’s Last Stand…Up Tour’ in San Diego. The Netflix comedy special ‘For Your Approval’ was filmed simultaneously by director Joel Gallen.

The show is now being labeled as DeGeneres’ final comedy special before she hangs up her boots. Following her 2018 debut comedy special ‘Relatable’, she returned with ‘For Your Approval’, marking her second stand-up special.

During her special, DeGeneres addressed the crowd, saying, “I’m here because I love doing stand-up, and I miss doing stand-up, and I like making people happy, and I do care what people think.”

DeGeneres discussed how much the negative news affected her, despite previously stating that her show ended regardless of the bad press she faced—infusing her remarks with the sarcastic humor that made her famous decades ago.
Ellen DeGeneres returned with ‘For Your Approval’, her second stand-up special, following her 2018 debut comedy special ‘Relatable’ (Getty Images)
“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’. Yeah, I know, it seemed like a good idea,” she addressed the audience during the special.

“Had I ended my show by saying, ‘Go f**k yourselves’, people would have been pleasantly surprised to find out I’m kind.”

DeGeneres quipped, “I got kicked out of show business. Yeah, because I’m mean. You can’t be mean and be in show business. They’ll kick you out. No mean people in show business.”