American Comedian and TV show host Ellen DeGeneres left her fans heartbroken when she announced the end of her much-loved show’s run on television. After 19 years and more than 3000 episodes, the show not only did make people laugh but also touched their lives with the show’s hosts inundated with humor. On May 28, Ellen filmed her final episode – a snippet of which she posted on social media. She also recalled the fond memories with stars like Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks, Billie Eilish, Pink, Barack and Michelle Obama and many more guests.
The 64-year-old comedian posted a video that featured her with Jennifer Aniston as they shoot the last episode. We see Ellen discussing the same with the Friends star. Also, 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. She introduced a career retrospective video that also touted DeGeneres’ philanthropic efforts, said to include more than $400 million in donations to charities and “deserving viewers.”
In another video, posted by Ellen on Instagram, we see a beaming Billie Eilish telling Ellen “I love you.”
“I love you so much, it’s dumb,” said Pink, who performed “What About Us.”
Ellen even posted a video from show tests featuring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and singer Alanis Morissette even before the show was aired.
DeGeneres’ daytime reign hit a serious bump in 2020, when the show was alleged to be a toxic workplace and three producers exited amid the claims. On the air that fall, DeGeneres apologized for “things that shouldn’t have happened,” but defended herself as being the same genuine person — if an imperfect one — on- and off-camera.
In an emotional video posted on her social media handle, Ellen summarized her journey by saying, “If I’ve done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I’ve inspired you to be yourself, your true authentic self. And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don’t understand. By opening your heart and your mind you’re going to be that much more compassionate, and compassion is what makes the world a better place.”
DeGeneres, who is married to actress Portia de Rossi, is believed to have been considering ending the show for several years.
Since September, the show’s ratings have plummeted by more than one-half compared to last season, to 1.2 million viewers per show.
DeGeneres is scheduled to have Oprah Winfrey as a guest on her show on Thursday to talk about ending the program. The final episode is scheduled for the spring of 2022.
DeGeneres has been co-producer of her show and last year earned an estimated $84 million, largely thanks to the program.That made her the 12th highest-paid celebrity in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
The show went on a brief hiatus when DeGeneres was diagnosed with Covid-19 in December.
“Definitely people have been saying, ‘Why don’t we just try to go a little longer?’ But 19 years is a long time to do anything,” she told the Hollywood Reporter. “Every day I’m not super smiley, but my intention is never to hurt anyone.”
In 2020, Ellen ran into a cyclone of controversies, when testimonies from anonymous employees about the show being a “toxic workplace” surfaced on the news. However, Ellen has brushed off all allegations of it being the reason for the show to come to an end.
