Ellen DeGeneres to end her talk show after nearly two decades
Ellen DeGeneres announced plans to wrap up her long-running US talk show in 2022 after almost two decades on the air.
“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 Hollywood Reporter of her decision.
The announcement comes only months after the famous show faced accusations of a toxic work culture which led to senior producers losing their jobs and an on-air apology from Degeneres herself. Since then the show has lost over a million viewers according to the research firm Nielsen.
It led to three senior producers losing their jobs and DeGeneres opening the current season with an on-air apology. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Degeneres said the accusations were “very hurtful” but were not the reason for ending the show.
Degeneres admitted that the show was originally planned to end after 16 seasons but agreed to extend her contract for a further three years. “That was the plan all along,” said Degeneres.
Degeneres will discuss the end of her talk show, which first aired in September 2003, with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday.