Ellen DeGeneres Will Return To Stand-Up After Nearly 15 Years With A New Netflix Comedy Special

Ellen DeGeneres spends most of her time hosting her own daytime talk show, which entertains audiences with Chris Pratt’s goofy smile and regularly dips its toes into what’s trending. But before The Ellen DeGeneres Show first took off in 2003, and before she made television history by coming out — both her character, and herself — on the ABC sitcom Ellen, DeGeneres wielded a microphone and told jokes for a living as a stand-up comedian. Her last special, Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now, aired on HBO in 2003 and that was that. Thanks to Netflix, however, she’s about to make her grand return to the stage.

DeGeneres and Netflix playfully announced the untitled new comedy special in a Twitter exchange. “Looks like it’s been 15 years since you did a stand-up special,” the streaming giant’s official account pointed out. “How about one for Netflix?” In response, the television host quipped, “Let me think about it. Ok I’m in.”

Deadline notes Netflix hasn’t officially commented on the matter. However, “word” of their impending deal with DeGeneres suggests a lofty price tag not unlike the ones the streaming service made with Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Tracy Morgan and Jerry Seinfeld — just to name a few big names. There’s also no indication of what the new special may be titled, especially since DeGeneres has devoted most of her professional life to her talk show during its 14 seasons on the air.

Either way, two things are for sure. First, that both Here and Now and The Beginning, DeGeneres’ first HBO special from 2000, are both remarkable comedy routines. As for the second point of fact, she hasn’t made a comedy special since before Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice was a thing, which means whatever she ends up making with Netflix will have plenty of material to contend with.

(Via Deadline)