DeGeneres proud of what show has given viewers in 19-year run
Ellen DeGeneres relishes what her daytime show has given viewers in its nearly two-decade run, a blend of the silly, sometimes earnest and, particularly in the last few years, a respite from hard times.
She also acknowledges that who she is counts for a lot — a TV host with wide appeal who is lesbian and married — but would like to see the distinction rendered moot.
“It shouldn’t be any different than someone who has a talk show who’s a heterosexual person. But it does mean something, and I am proud of that.
I’m really thankful,” DeGeneres said.
She decided it was time to end “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” after 19 years and, before she dances off the daytime stage, is celebrating with high-profile guests. Among them: Jennifer Lawrence, Mila Kunis and Bruno Mars, with Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink on the May 26 finale.
With taping concluded, DeGeneres could heed the advice offered by another famous ex-talk show host and her friend, Oprah Winfrey, who was on the May 24 episode. Winfrey suggested to DeGeneres that she take time off.
Will she? “Define ‘time off,’ ” DeGeneres said, wryly. She’s busy with one of her passions, remodeling houses, and will travel to Rwanda to visit a birthday present from her actorwife, Portia de Rossi: The recently completed Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, a sprawling headquarters for the gorilla conservation project named for the late scientist.
DeGeneres has production deals in place and “ideas I want to do,” said
the actor and comedian who has been part of movies (“Mr. Wrong,” “Finding Dory”) and TV series, including her groundbreaking 1990s sitcom “Ellen,” the first network show with a gay or lesbian lead character.
This interview with DeGeneres has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: Oprah said that you’ll never have a time like this, referring to your show and its run as “the glory days.” How did that resonate with you? A:
I also had glory days on my sitcom, the last few that I really savored and enjoyed. I think you can have many glory days, I hope, because I have. She was right, in a sense, that’ll never happen again. Then I’ll create new ones.
Q: Did you want to make the daytime talk show something it hadn’t been before? A:
We were ridiculous. Those moments on “The Carol Burnett Show” when Harvey and Tim (Korman and Conway) just lost it and laughed so hard, and just the silliness. And that’s what we did with games, what we did with other segments. We had a really great combination, we had interesting people on and had interesting
conversations. Some people were celebrities, and some people were spiritual guides. We also helped people who were in need and were doing amazing things. We introduced music. It was a combination of everything. … I’m just proud that we put so much into every single show — you’d get a little taste of everything in an hour.
Q: When the show began in 2 0 0 3 , attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people and rights were different, and the issue has flared again. Without making a point of it on the show, you were a gay woman who American viewers could relate to. Was that important? A:
It’s not until I see that there’s so much hatred or discrimination out there, and I realize that I’m on television every single day just being myself (and) that should reach people. I’m really grateful that I became a talk show host, that I get to be myself every single day versus if I would have continued acting, playing different roles all the time. I wouldn’t have been able to explore and see myself grow as a person. And, like you said, just by being there hopefully send a message that I’m really no different from anybody else.