Although she was certainly famous before its inception, The Ellen DeGeneres Show has undeniably turned its host and top boss into one of America’s biggest household names.
In addition to serving as a platform for DeGeneres to interview and play pranks on a long list of A-list celebrities, the show also owes its wide appeal to its cultivated atmosphere of positivity encapsulated by her “be kind” tagline.
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Of course, that branding would end up working against both DeGeneres and her show when longtime suspicions that there was a toxic work environment behind its production came to a boiling point during the summer of 2020.
But for anyone wondering if this recent spate of bad publicity influenced DeGeneres’ recent announcement that the show will soon be coming to an end, the truth is that she’s been looking for an exit from the juggernaut she spawned for years.
Back in 2018, DeGeneres revealed during an interview with the *New York Times* that she was considering an end to *The Ellen DeGeneres Show*.
She stated that her wife Portia De Rossi encouraged this change as a means of letting DeGeneres fulfill other creative ambitions, while her brother Vance argued that the show needed to continue because her audience needed their daily dose of positivity.
Similar urgings came from Warner Bros. executives — most notably Warner Bros.’ Unscripted TV President Mike Darnell — and DeGeneres was convinced to let the show continue for three more seasons.
And according to The Hollywood Reporter , Darnell’s urgings have continued as recently as late April but DeGeneres has nonetheless made the final decision that the show’s upcoming 19th season will be its last.
As for why DeGeneres has wanted to put her show to rest, it boils down to a personal need for new creative pursuits and the realization that 19 years is a long time to do anything.
As she told The Hollywood Reporter , “I’m a creative person, and when you’re a creative person you constantly need to be challenged, which is why I decided to host the Oscars or why I decided to go back to stand up when I didn’t think I would. I just needed something to challenge me. And as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore.”
And while she said it will likely feel hard to say goodbye to the show on the last episode, she’s resolute in her belief that it’s time to end it.
DeGeneres reportedly informed her staff as to when the show would officially end on May 11 and she’s planning to discuss the announcement on-air with Oprah Winfrey on May 13.
As for what DeGeneres is hoping to do next, that remains to be seen as her agent Eddy Yablans has advised her to rest for a time before she commits to any new projects.
In her words, “And I don’t know how long I’ll be able to do that because I’m like a Ferrari in neutral. I’m constantly needing to go.”
