Ellen’s show to end in 2022
Ellen Degeneres has decided to end her talk show after its upcoming 19th season. Though the host years ago publicly considered leaving daytime television, the news arrives months after Degeneres and other higher-ups were accused of fostering toxic workplace dynamics on the set of “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” including racism and sexual misconduct by producers.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Tuesday, Degeneres attributed her choice to end the show in 2022 to her desire for “something new to challenge me.” She denied that the allegations — outlined last summer in two different Buzzfeed articles — were the main reason behind it.
“It almost impacted the show,” she said of the controversy. “It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season.”
Asked for further comment, representatives for Degeneres and Warner Bros. Television, the show’s distributor, referred The Washington Post back to the Hollywood Reporter article.
Rumors of Degeneres’ off-camera personality differing from the kindness she preached on television have long circulated in Hollywood, as addressed in her December 2018 interview with the New York Times titled “Ellen Degeneres Is Not as Nice as You Think.” The host’s reputation began to take hits soon afterward, beginning with her efforts to rehabilitate Kevin Hart‘s image in January 2019 — after he stepped down as Oscars host due to outrage over his past homophobic comments — and continuing that fall as she defended her friendship with former president George W. Bush.
In a viral moment from an episode that aired in November 2019, Dakota Johnson countered Degeneres’ claim that she hadn’t been invited to the actress’ birthday party: “Actually, no, that’s not the truth, Ellen,” Johnson said, sparking a meme that “brought down Ellen,” as some joked.
Early in the pandemic, Degeneres compared social distancing to “being in jail” during a segment taped in her luxurious living room, fueling further criticism. Additional rumors about Degeneres’ character had circulated on social media around that time as well, building to the first Buzzfeed report, published in July, that detailed “day-to-day toxicity” on the set of “Ellen.”
Employees “said they were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days to attend family funerals,” the Buzzfeed article reads. “One employee, who claims she was fed up with comments about her race, essentially walked off the job. Others said they were also instructed by their direct managers to not speak to Degeneres if they saw her around the office.”
Warner Bros. launched an internal investigation into “Ellen” and fired three of its top producers — which Degeneres addressed on the Season 18 premiere, aired in September. Though she didn’t share specific details, she noted in the episode that “I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility.”
“Ellen” premiered in 2003, six years after Degeneres came out as gay on her sitcom — after which she became one of the most prominent members of the LGBTQ community in Hollywood. The show amassed dozens of Daytime Emmys over more than 3,000 episodes, as Degeneres herself received honors including the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2012 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Though a reliable ratings hit throughout its run, “Ellen” has reportedly lost more than a million viewers since the Season 18 premiere.