Ellen DeGeneres abruptly cancels shows on her comedy tour

Ellen DeGeneres is taking her act off the road, at least for some days and venues.

The former host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show has cancelled several performances of her latest stand-up tour, Ellen’s Last Stand… Up, in Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago, this month and next, according to the Ticketmaster website.

No reason for the cancellations was given, but a message from the company said, “Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event.” Refunds would be issued in 14 to 21 days, ticket holders were told.

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Tickets for other dates on the tour remain on sale.

EW has reached out to a rep for DeGeneres and to Live Nation Entertainment for comment.

DeGeneres embarked on her tour, her first since allegations of a toxic workplace on her show emerged, in June and has already performed in some locations. In both Los Angeles and Santa Rosa, Calif., she reportedly made jokes about the situation, as she had teased that she would.

According to PEOPLE, she said in an April show in Los Angeles that she had been “kicked out of show business” for being “mean.”

SFGate reported this week that she said in Santa Rosa, ““I am many things, but I am not mean.”

Accusations against DeGeneres surfaced on social media in March 2020. Others added their voices against the star and and the show’s producers in the following months via two BuzzFeed News stories in which people said that they were told inappropriate things and fired after taking sick time or bereavement, among other complaints. The allegations were particularly damaging to a celebrity whose persona was based on the idea that she was kind and funny and who danced daily through her audience.

The These Friends of Mine star apologized more than once, saying that the show had “grown exponentially” and that she hadn’t “been able to stay on top of everything.” Staffing changes were made, but the show, which began in 2003, wrapped up in 2022.

DeGeneres is scheduled to perform next Tuesday, July 8, in Denver.