After 15 years away, Ellen DeGeneres has agreed to do another comedy special. Leave it to streaming behemoth Netflix — the modern day go-to place for all things comedy — to recruit the comedian.
After a brief Twitter conversation between Netflix and DeGeneres last week, it appeared the deal was all but sealed. As noted by Deadline, the special was later confirmed by Netflix (albeit with few details) in a statement from DeGeneres.
“It has been 15 years since I did a stand-up special. 15 years,” said DeGeneres. “And I’m writing it now, I can’t wait. I’ll keep you posted when and where I’m gonna shoot my Netflix special. I’m excited to do it; I’m excited for you to see it.”
Netflix is the gold standard for stand-up comedy in 2017, locking down everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock to Kevin James. Their latest score, DeGeneres, only further etches in stone the VOD service’s commitment to the medium.
DeGeneres’ last two stand-up specials — 2001’s The Beginning and 2003’s Here and Now — came courtesy of HBO. Her newly-announced Netflix hour-long is rumored to have earned the comedian top dollar, somewhere in the range paid to both Chappelle and Rock ($20 million paid per special).