“The Ellen Show” has officially wrapped its final episode.
Ellen DeGeneres announced on a Twitter thread last night that the hugely popular daytime talk show wrapped up filming for its final episode. The host also offered some personal thoughts on the show and how it has evolved since its debut.
“Today we taped the final episode of ‘The Ellen Show’ which airs May 26th,” Degeneres wrote on Twitter. “When we started this show in 2003, the iPhone didn’t exist. Social networks did not exist. Gay marriage was not legal. We have seen the world change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.
The talk show, now on season 19, first aired at NBC Studios on September 8, 2003, before moving to the Warner Bros. studios lot. in 2008. During the show’s run, it won 12 Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Talk Show, more than any other talk show in history. In May 2021, DeGeneres announced that the show would end next year after over 3,000 episodes following allegations of workplace toxicity.
“But no matter what, my goal was always for the show to be a place where we could all come together and laugh for an hour,” Degeneres wrote. “Being invited into your lives has been the greatest privilege of my life and has brought me incredible joy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
But no matter what, my goal was always for the show to be a place where we could all come together and laugh for an hour. To be invited into your lives has been the greatest privilege of my life and has brought me incredible joy. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 29, 2022
The show has faced ratings declines in recent years, and the host has also damaged her reputation after allegations surfaced of inappropriate behavior and on-set bullying. In July 2020, a BuzzFeed News investigation revealed allegations of racist behavior and bullying on the show. WarnerMedia then conducted an internal investigation, resulting in the firing of three lead producers over allegations of racial insensitivity, sexual misconduct, and other issues in the work environment.
In April of the same year, Variety reported on the show’s crew members’ frustration with the pay cut, lack of communication and poor treatment of producers during the pandemic. According to two unnamed sources, the main stage crew did not receive any written communication about the status of their working hours, salary, or questions about their mental and physical health for more than a month. The team was further outraged by the show’s hiring of a non-union outside tech firm to help DeGeneres record remotely from her home in California.
DeGeneres addressed the damning reports in her opening monologue for Season 18, promising significant changes while saying the show had started a “new chapter.”