Ellen DeGeneres, 66, reveals triple diagnosis: ‘It’s hard to be honest’

Ellen DeGeneres revealed that she was diagnosed with Osteoporosis, OCD and ADHD after she took a step back from the spotlight for allegedly creating a toxic workplace.

The former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” host candidly spoke about aging in her new Netflix special, “For Your Approval,” which came out on on Tuesday.

DeGeneres, 66, told audience members that she took a “stupid bone density test” when she discovered that she has “full-on osteoporosis.”

Ellen DeGeneres spoke about her triple diagnosis on her Netflix comedy special, “For Your Approval.” WILSON WEBB/NETFLIX The former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” host, pictured here in January 2020, said she has Osteoporosis, ADHD and OCD. Getty Images for The Recording Academy DeGeneres, pictured here in 2015, learned about her health woes after she left the spotlight in 2022. GC Images

“I don’t even know how I’m standing up right now. I’m like a human sandcastle. I could disintegrate in the shower,” DeGeneres said.

Osteoporosis is 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,” according to the National Institute of Health.

“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,'” she recalled.

The comedian talked a while about aging for her stand-up special. ADAM ROSE/NETFLIX DeGeneres confessed it can be “hard” to think about getting older. Getty Images for Live Nation

DeGeneres admitted that it can be “hard to be honest about aging and seem cool.”

The stand-up comedian also explained in the special that she had started going to therapy after the backlash and “hatred” from fans took a toll on her mental health. While she was there, she learned she had OCD and ADHD.

OCD stands for Obsessive-compulsive disorder and is a disorder where a “person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), engages in repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both,” per the NIH.

The former talk show host also discovered she has OCD during therapy. NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi, pictured here in March 2022, helped her come to terms with the diagnosis. Getty Images for RH

DeGeneres admitted that she didn’t have much knowledge about OCD before she was diagnosed and initially thought the “O” stood for “organized.”

“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 said.

Once she understood what OCD was, she realized that her dad “for sure had OCD,” and she also learned that it “could be hereditary.” DeGeneres subsequently went home and asked her wife, Portia de Rossi, if she thought she had OCD, to which de Rossi, 51, replied, “Yes you do.”

DeGeneres and de Rossi also figured out that DeGeneres’ dad also most likely had OCD. Getty Images The Emmy winner rounded out her segment by talking about her ADHD. WireImage,

The “Seriously…I’m Kidding” author acknowledged that she “obsesses” over things like time and animals.

Meanwhile, DeGeneres also spoke about her ADHD diagnosis –– which is a “developmental disorder marked by persistent symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that interfere with functioning or development,” per the NIH.

“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,” she told a laughing crowd.

DeGeneres rounded out her aging segment by telling audience members, “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.”

DeGeneres also spoke about allegations that she created a toxic workplace. Getty Images for Netflix DeGeneres hosted her show from 2003 to 2022 and had been staying out of the spotlight since. The Ellen Show

The Emmy winner also addressed the public controversy that surrounded her after she was accused of creating a workplace that fostered “racism, fear and intimidation” in 2020. The show subsequently ended in 2022 after 19 seasons.

“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 shared.

DeGeneres admitted that she used to “care what people” thought about her, but she “just can’t anymore.”