(Photo Credits: TheEllenShow’s Official YouTube Account)

As the song goes, “some good things never last.”

Ellen DeGeneres has announced that the 19th season of her multi-awarded, long-running talk show will be its last. Fans can expect the final episode to air this spring of 2022.



“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged — and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” DeGeneres said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter where she discussed her decision for the first time. 

Moreover, the 63-year-old host said in an announcement she made on the show itself during the start of this Thursday’s program, that she’d always known season 19 will be her last. “Two years ago, I signed a deal for three more years and I always knew in my heart that season 19 would be my last.”

DeGeneres added: 

The truth is, I always trust my instincts. My instinct told me it’s time. As a comedian, I’ve always understood the importance of… timing. In all seriousness, I truly have felt like next season was the right time to end this amazing chapter.

She also talked about the end of her The Ellen DeGeneres Show with her longtime friend and fellow talk show host Oprah Winfrey during a special episode this Thursday, May 13, 2021. Watch their conversation below:



DeGeneres has been hosting her syndicated television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, since 2003. Last year, however, it had been embroiled in controversy when former employees’ allegations of toxic work environment broke in BuzzFeed News. 

In a separate interview with Today, DeGeneres clarified that the controversy is not the reason why the show is ending. “If it was why I was quitting, I would have not come back this year.” Further, she revealed, “I really did think about not coming back, because it was devastating. It started with attacks on me and attacking everything that I stand for and believe in and built my career around… I am a kind person. I am a person who likes to make people happy.”

DeGeneres then shared a conversation she had with her wife, Portia de Rossi: “…. I just kept saying to Portia, ‘If I was a fan of somebody, and even if I loved them, I would think there must be some truth to it because it’s not stopping.'” 

She also related how the whole controversy had affected her and how devastating it was: “No, I’m not bulletproof. And no, I don’t have thick skin. I’m extremely sensitive to the point of it’s not healthy how sensitive I am.” She added, “When something is coming back at me that I know is not true, I guess I could take one or two of those shots, but four months in a row took a toll on me.”



In addition, DeGeneres said she had “no idea” her show was a toxic environment and she “never saw anything that would even point to that.” She said:


I don’t know how I could have known when there’s 255 employees here and there are a lot of different buildings. Unless I literally stayed here until that last person goes home at night. It is my name on the show, so clearly it affects me, and I have to be the one to stand up and say this can’t be tolerated. But I do wish somebody would’ve come to me and said, ‘Hey, something’s going on that you should know about.'”



Since the controversy erupted, an internal investigation was conducted, the show went on hiatus, and three senior producers have lost their jobs. Read some of the allegations here

According to Buzzfeed News, some former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show previously did tell them that it’s highly likely DeGeneres is unaware of  what’s happening behind the scenes because “she doesn’t spend enough time in the office or interacting with the staff to have a strong sense of the culture.” They also revealed that “executive producers ‘insulate’ her from details and control the narrative on set.”

The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which won over 60 Daytime Emmy awards including last year’s Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show, has aired over 3000 episodes.

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