After 19 seasons, an explosive workplace scandal, and a loss of over a million viewers, Ellen announced today that she’s finally calling it quits with her talk show.
With more than 3,000 episodes in the can, Ellen told the Hollywood Reporter that the show will end after the 2021/2022 season. “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,” Ellen told THR on Wednesday.
The exit comes at the heels of toxic workplace allegations that decimated Ellen’s ratings going into her latest season, but the host denies that the recent allegations had anything to do with her departure. “I was going to stop after season 16,” she said, but clarified that pushback from “affiliates and the stations” forced her to strap in for three more seasons. “If I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season,” she said. “So, it’s not why I’m stopping.” She did admit that hearing her former staff share such horror stories behind the scenes did leave an impact. “[The claims] destroyed me, honestly. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. But like most celebrities accused of wrongdoing, she doubled down on how Cancel Culture was the real enemy.
“The culture we’re living is [one where] no one can make mistakes. And I don’t want to generalize because there are some bad people out there and those people shouldn’t work again. But, in general, the culture today is one where you can’t learn and grow, which is, as human beings, what we’re here to do.” She addressed the allegations in the opening monologue for her 2020 season.
“As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation,” she said. “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 that were affected. I know that I am in a position of privilege and power and with that comes responsibility and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
It is rumored that Kelly Clarkson may take Ellen’s spot, whose own talk show airs right after Ellen’s.
Ellen’s First Monologue of Season 18www.youtube.com
