American comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres will end her long-running daytime television chat show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” next year.
“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.
This is coming after ratings for the show tanked following bullying allegations by several former and current employees who accused DeGeneres of fostering a toxic work environment last year and turning a blind eye to bullying by executives.
In April 2020, Variety reported on the outrage among the show’s crew members over pay reduction, a lack of communication and poor treatment by producers after the pandemic shut down production and a non-union tech company was hired to tape the show remotely from DeGeneres’ California home.
DeGeneres did eventually address the allegations and three top producers on the series — executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman — were fired.
DeGeneres made an emotional on-air apology to viewers in September 2020, during which she said sorry to employees who were hurt and claimed to have made “necessary changes”.
“I learned that things happen here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility. I take responsibility for what happens at my show,” Ellen said in her season premiere.
“This is me and my intention is to always be the best person I can be, and if I’ve ever let someone down, if I’ve ever hurt their feelings, I am so sorry for that. If that’s ever the case, I’ve let myself down and I’ve hurt myself as well because I always try to grow as a person. I look at everything that comes into my life as an opportunity to learn. I got into this business to make people laugh and feel good, that’s my favorite thing to do.”
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will officially end after the upcoming 2021-22 season. DeGeneres has hosted the series since 2003, meaning the show will have run for 19 seasons by the time it ends.
The show has been a major fixture of the daytime TV landscape throughout its run and has even inspired a number of spinoffs. Those include shows like “Ellen’s Game of Games,” “The Masked Dancer,” “Family Game Fight” and “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways.”