Ellen DeGeneres will end talk show after 19 seasons
The move comes as “Ellen” ratings have tumbled 43% following controversies last year.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will soon no longer be dancing across TV screens.
Ellen DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview Wednesday that she plans to end her long-running talk show after 19 seasons next May.
“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 told the Reporter. The comedian, 63, said that the daytime series would end after the upcoming 2021-2022 season.
USA TODAY confirmed the news. DeGeneres will address her decision in her monologue for Wednesday’s broadcast.
“Although all good things must come to an end, you still have hope that truly great things never will,” Mike Darnell, president of “Ellen” producer Warner Bros.’ Unscripted TV, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise considering the age and cost of the series. DeGeneres’s lucrative contract – she is said to make at least $50 million a year– also expires next May, and she has spoken publicly about potentially ending the show, including in a controversial 2018 New York Times profile. The ratings for the show have tumbled 43% this season, averaging 1.4 million viewers, from 2.5 million at this point last season.
Every talk show is down in the ratings
this season, but “Ellen” saw a far bigger decline since she was embroiled in controversy in 2020 after allegations of toxic workplace conditions and mistreatment. Three executive producers were ousted as a result of an internal workplace review. DeGeneres apologized privately to her staffers and publicly on air last September.
She said in the The Hollywood Reporter interview that her decision to end the show was unrelated to last summer’s allegations. “It almost impacted the show. 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,” she said.
Premiering on Sept. 8, 2003, “Ellen” became a cultural mainstay on syndicated daytime TV. Over its life, it has won 61 Daytime Emmy Awards and 17 People’s Choice Awards. DeGeneres was known for her “be kind” mentality and tone, her frequent dancing and silly games with her guests and audience members and celebrity gags.
“I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show,” she said at the start of the series’ 18th season.
Some of the allegations suggested DeGeneres’ off-screen behavior was responsible for the toxic environment, and that she wasn’t the kind person she appeared to be on television.
“The truth is I am that person you see on TV. I am also a lot of other things.”