The Ellen DeGeneres Show Is Ending After 19 Years

Ellen DeGeneres has long been one of the most recognisable, familiar and beloved figures on television in the US.

Starting as an actor on her sitcom Ellen in the early 1990s, she also became known for publicly coming out as gay on the Oprah Winfrey show and then via a Time magazine front cover which, at the time, was a rare and inspirational move.

Now she is at the helm of a media empire, with the central focus being a weekday chat show that welcomes A-List guests from Leonardo DiCaprio to Kim Kardashian West - many of whom are DeGeneres' close friends. At the 2020 Golden Globes she was presented with the Carol Burnett lifetime achievement award and in 2016, Barack Obama awarded the 62-year-old with the presidential medal of freedom.

Frequently touted as an LGBTQ+ icon, aspirational woman in media, an outspoken activist and someone who has largely built a reputation on the concept of kindness (with regular features of her show including audience giveaways and hefty charitable donations), the 2020 headlines surrounding DeGeneres sent shockwaves across the world.

There has been a lot of confusion as to what has actually happened though. And also, who is involved and what the allegations really are, which you can read more about below.

On May 13 2021, DeGeneres announced that her eponymous talk show would be ending after the next season, season 19, though denied the decision had anything to do with the controversy and allegations of last year.

Here's what you need to know:

Update 13/05/21: Ellen DeGeneres confirms end of Ellen DeGeneres Show

Addressing the virtual audience of her talk show host on May 13th, DeGeneres confirmed that the next season of the talk show (season 19) would be the final one and that the show - which is filmed in the Warner Bros studios in Burbank, California - will finish in the Spring of 2022.

In the monologue, the 63-year-old said: 'The past 18 years has changed my life... I am forever grateful for all of you for watching, laughing, dancing and sometimes crying.'

Tearing up herself, DeGeneres said: 'This show has been the greatest experience of my life and I owe it all to you. So, thank you. I want you to know that I have thought a lot about this decision... two years ago I signed a deal for three more years and I always knew that the 19th season would be my last.'

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter shortly before she delivered the news on her show, DeGeneres played down suggestions her decision to leave the show was tied into the allegations against herself and the daytime talk show.

'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. So, it’s not why I’m stopping...'

The former actor continued that the allegations 'destroyed' her, saying: 'I care tremendously. It broke my heart when I learned that people here had anything other than a fantastic experience — that people were hurt in any way. I check in now as much as I can through Zoom to different departments, and I make sure people know that if there’s ever a question or ever anything, they can come to me, and I don’t know why that was never considered before. I’m not a scary person. I’m really easy to talk to. So, we’ve all learned from things that we didn’t realise — or I didn’t realise — were happening. I just want people to trust and know that I am who I appear to be.'

Original article, August 2020: What were the accusations against Ellen DeGeneres?

A July Buzzfeed report cited several sources who claimed they had suffered sexual harassment, racism and bullying on the set of The Ellen DeGeneres show, labelling it a 'toxic work environment'.

Among the allegations, one former Black employee claimed they suffered microaggresions and disrespectful comments, while other employees said they were fired for taking sick leave - including for serious mental health conditions - and attending family funerals. One also claimed they were instructed not to speak to DeGeneres if they encountered her during production.

While the accusations were largely levied against the executive producers rather than DeGeneres herself, she was criticised in the article for failing to take accountability for the negative climate on set and addressing injustices.

'If she wants to have her own show and have her name on the show title, she needs to be more involved to see what's going on,' a former employee told the outlet. 'I think the executive producers surround her and tell her, "Things are going great, everybody's happy," and she just believes that, but it's her responsibility to go beyond that.'

Then, Buzzfeed published a further article where sexual harassment and misconduct allegations were made against several producers on the show. All those accused vehemently deny the claims.

Prior to those articles, in April Variety reported how several members of the crew were furious over the lack of communication about their jobs and pay as the show moved to a remote way of working due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

How has Ellen DeGeneres responded to the accusations?

The official line from the three executive producers to Buzzfeed was that they were 'heartbroken and sorry' to learn about the allegations of a toxic workplace and defended DeGeneres from the accusations, saying 'For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us.'

Days after the report, DeGeneres sent an internal email to those working on the show, which was later published on The Hollywood Reporter.

The star said she has always aimed for her show to be a 'place of happiness', but that 'obviously something has changed' in the 17 years since she made that vow on the show's first episode.

'As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done. Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again,' the host wrote.

Sine the reports, Warner Bros has began an internal investigation into the allegations and working culture.

Update 18/8/20: The Ellen Show Parts Ways With Three Producers

Three of the show's top producers, Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman, have left the show amid a Warner Bros investigation, according to Variety.

DeGeneres reportedly hosted a virtual Zoom meeting with the show's staff members this week where she announced the show's changes (including promoting the show's DJ Stephen 'tWitch' Boss to executive producer) and emotionally apologised again for 'letting the ball drop' behind the scenes.

'I feel like I’ve kind of let the ball drop a bit because I’m focused on the show, I go in and I do the show, and I’ve just let everybody to do their jobs – to run different departments. And it just became a well-oiled machine, and I think that is the problem. It’s not a machine. This is people. These are human beings that are working hard every single day to put this together. This show would not be what it is without all of you,' the host allegedly told staff according to The Hollywood Reporter.

DeGeneres also commented on the 'crazy' allegations that she was distant and unapproachable on set, explaining she was an introvert who liked her own space, the publisher said.

The internal investigation's initial results also allegedly found no evidence of systemic racism but committed to increasing diversity and representation across the show.

What did Ellen DeGeneres say about the allegations on her show?

When the talk show host returned to usher in season 18 of her show in September 2020, DeGeneres addressed the allegations and claims in her opening monologue.

'As you may have heard this summer there were allegations of a toxic workplace on our show and then there was an investigation, 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 are affected. I know that I am in a position of privilege and power and I know that with that comes responsibility and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.

The host pledged that she and her team have had many conversations, made 'necessary changes' and were committed to starting a 'new chapter' and also addressed some of the more personal allegations levied at herself. However, the monologue - which included some jokes and humour - didn't go down well with everyone.

What did celebrity guests and friends of Ellen said about the reports?

Since the reports, many have aired their views on the high-profile reports including those close to DeGeneres.

On August 3, the host's wife Portia de Rossi broke her silence taking to Instagram to thank fans for their support.

Katy Perry, Kevin Hart, Diane Keaton, Ashton Kutcher and polo player Nacho Figueras have also voiced support for their friend, with Perry saying: 'I think we all have witnessed the light and continual fight for equality that she has brought to the world through her platform for decades.'

However, others have offered some criticism.

The show's former DJ Tony Okungbowa took to Twitter this week to say he was grateful for the opportunities afforded to him, but claimed he too had witnessed 'toxic culture', supporting his former colleagues including those that have spoken out.

Brad Garrett, an American actor best known for his role in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, also waded in to the row following reports, claiming that this type of behaviour 'comes from the top'. 'Know more than one who were treated horribly by her.⁩ Common knowledge,' he alleged, which suggests that there are some who feel Ellen herself is to blame.

This article was updated to reflect The Ellen DeGeneres Show ending in May, 2021

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