DeGeneres ends daytime show with plea for compassion
LOS ANGELES >> Ellen DeGeneres brought her nearly two-decade daytime talk show to an end Thursday with a celebrity lovefest and a forceful assertion of her achievement as a gay woman daring to be herself.
DeGeneres and guests Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink shared memories and affection as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” concluded its Emmy-winning, 3,200-plus episode run that began in September 2003.
“Twenty years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” DeGeneres said of the pushback from TV stations.
When the syndicated show went on the air, she was prevented from saying the word “gay” or even the pronoun “we,” DeGeneres said, since the latter would imply she had a partner. She didn't specify who imposed the ban.
“Sure couldn't say wife, and that's because it wasn't legal for gay people to get married — and now I say `wife' all the time,” DeGeneres added, with a touch of defiance, as actor Portia de Rossi watched from the studio audience. They wed in 2008.
The host, who became known for encouraging her audience to join her in impromptu dances, shared some last moves with her sidekick and DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, to the tune “Best of My Love.”
The dancer-choreographer saluted DeGeneres as someone who inspires others because she has “the courage to step out and be your authentic self.”
Aniston, who as the first guest on the show's first episode gave DeGeneres a “Welcome” doormat, arrived with another that read, “Thanks for the memories.” DeGeneres noted the “Friends” star has been on the show a total of 20 times.
“You're welcome,” Aniston said, teasingly, then turned serious.
“I love you, and I so appreciate you and what you have given to the world over the last 19 years. The contribution is endless,” she said.