Ellen DeGeneres, one of the most popular day-time talk show hosts, has announced that she will be cancelling her show after its 19th season.
This news came a few months after numerous allegations were raised against her for cultivating a toxic workplace environment. However, Ellen claimed that the reason for ending the show was because it doesn’t challenge her anymore. She said to The Hollywood Reporter, “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, who has won the Kennedy Centre’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humour in 2015 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, had a year filled with controversies in 2020. In July, Buzzfeed news published a huge exposé in which current and former employees of the show claimed that they were subjected to racism, fear and intimidation during their time on the show. The employees had also asked to remain anonymous as they feared retribution from the show as well as the entertainment industry.
Ellen, who always ended her show with the message “Be Kind”, faced backlash from her employees who claimed it was just for show.
A former employee told BuzzFeed news, “That ‘be kind’ bulls**t only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show. I know they give money to people and help them out, but it’s for show”.
The employees also said that they were not allowed to talk to Ellen if they ever saw her around the office. Some were fired for taking medical leave or even taking leaves to attend family funerals. The everyday toxicity allegations were mostly against the producers of the show but employees said that Ellen needs to take more responsibility for the environment. When asked about the toxic environment Ellen said she was unaware of it. She went on to say, “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.”
Ellen is also known for making celebrities uncomfortable on set, for example when singer Mariah Carey appeared on the talk show back in 2008, there were rumours doing the rounds about the singer being pregnant although the singer had not confirmed it. When Ellen asked her about the rumours, the singer replied by saying she did not want to discuss it. Ellen however decided to offer the singer alcohol and asked her to toast to “not being pregnant” while the singer was visibly uncomfortable. A lot of comments came up after the show aired and lots of people believed that Ellen had gone too far this time.
In March 2020, a thread was started by comedian Kevin T. Porter asking users to share the craziest stories they have heard about Ellen. The tweet blew up and had thousands of replies.
During an interview for the Today Show, Ellen also claimed that the backlash seemed too orchestrated and targeted. When asked by the host if she felt like she was being “cancelled”, Ellen replied with, “I really didn’t understand it. I still don’t understand it. It was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated. People get picked on, but for four months straight for me. And then for me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is and what a happy place this is”.
When the show, which has won 61 Daytime Emmy Awards, returned for its 18th season after the allegations, it saw a 43% drop in viewership which deeply affected its ratings. During the opening monologue for her latest episode, Ellen emotionally shared her decision to end the show.
"You may wonder why I've decided to end after 19 seasons. The truth is, I always trust my instincts. My instinct told me it's time. As a comedian, I've always understood the importance of timing. In all seriousness, I truly have felt like next season was the right time to end this amazing chapter."
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