Ellen DeGeneres openly discussed ageing in her new special on Netflix titled ‘For Your Approval’, which was released on Tuesday. She revealed her triple diagnosis following her resignation as the talk show host and from the spotlight after she allegedly created a toxic environment at her workplace. DeGeneres was diagnosed with osteoporosis along with ADHD and OCD. In the Netflix special, she told the audience members how she took a “stupid bone density test,” which led to the discovery that she has “full-on osteoporosis.”
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Ellen DeGeneres talks about her triple diagnosis
In her special, the 66-year-old said, “I don’t even know how I’m standing up right now. I’m like a human sandcastle. I could disintegrate in the shower.” According to the National Institutes of Health, Osteoporosis is described as a “bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases,” which leads to “a decrease in bone strength that can increase the risk of fractures”.
DeGeneres recalled how she discovered her osteoporosis as she said, “I had excruciating pain one day and I thought I tore a ligament or something and I got an MRI and they said, ‘No, it’s just arthritis.’ I said, ‘How did I get that?’ And he said, ‘Oh it just happens at your age’”. The Ellen Degeneres Show host admitted that it is “hard to be honest about ageing and seem cool.”
She also revealed that she began therapy after the “hatred” from fans weighed heavy on her mental health. During therapy, she was diagnosed with ADHD (Anxiety deficit/Hyperactivity disorder) and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). DeGeneres divulged that she initially thought O in OCD stood for organised. She said, “I didn’t know what OCD was. I was raised in a religion, Christian Science, that doesn’t acknowledge diseases or disorders. So when I was growing up, nobody talked about anything. There was no discussion of anything.”
She further explained in the special to a laughing crowd, “My ADD makes it really hard to sit down and focus on anything at all. I mean, do you know how hard it was for me to put this together? Of course you don’t. Why would I ask that question? It’s hard for me to focus.”
Recently, the talk show host made headlines as old interview videos and tweets, linked to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, resurfaced on the internet. This was followed by the revelation of DeGeneres’ triple diagnosis.
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DeGeneres talks about accusations of abuse
She concluded her segment about ageing in her new Netflix special with, “So, I have ADD, I have OCD, I’m losing my memory. But I think I’m well-adjusted because I obsess on things, but then I don’t have the attention span to stick with it, and I quickly forget what I was obsessing about in the first place. So, it takes me all the way around to being well adjusted, I think,” as reported by Page Six.
DeGeneres unearthed the accusation of abuse and created a toxic work environment for her staff. She touched upon the public controversy of her being a promoter of “racism, fear and intimidation,” following which her talk show came to an end after 19 seasons in 2022.
She said, “When you’re a public figure, you’re open to everyone’s interpretation. And I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that, ‘What other people think of me is none of my business.’ Because people will say all kinds of things and you have no control over that. But you know the truth and that’s all that matters.”
She agreed that she used to “care what people” thought, but “she can’t anymore” now.