The Ellen DeGeneres Show will be coming to an end after a long run on daytime TV in 2022.
In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the American comedian opened up about the future of her longstanding talking show.
DeGeneres announced her decision to end The Ellen DeGeneres Show was not due to poor rating or toxic workplace allegations.
The star revealed leaving the show was something she had considered previously in 2018 after season 16.
The Ellen Show, which pulls off 180 episodes yearly, has become a big hit with daytime viewers for its sketches and celebrity interviews.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen remained adamant the show was not ending due to allegation of a toxic workplace.
“If I was quitting the show because of [allegations], I wouldn’t have come back this season. So, it’s not why I’m stopping but it was hard because I was sitting at home, it was summer, and I see a story that people have to chew gum before they talk to me and I’m like, ‘Okay, this is hilarious,'” the 63-year-old says.
“Then I see another story of some other ridiculous thing and then it just didn’t stop. And I wasn’t working, so I had no platform, and I didn’t want to address it on [Twitter] and I thought if I just don’t address it, it’s going to go away because it was all so stupid.”
The Emmy-winning talk show – which has been on the air since 2003 – was accused of being a toxic work environment for its staffers earlier this year.
BuzzFeedNews released an exposé, in which one current and 10 former employees revealed that they were subject to a culture of racism, fear and intimidation, with one stating that the host’s mantra to be kind is “bullshit” and “only happens when the cameras are on.”
In July, Ellen issued a memo to her staffers after an internal investigation found “deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management”. Three of the show’s top producers, Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman, were also sacked.
In a previous statement, Warner Bros said the company and Ellen are “all committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion,” and are “confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.”
DeGeneres revealed the lead up to the influx of allegations start when it was reported “someone couldn’t look [her] in the eye”.
As the star learned more from the press, she admitted she had considered leaving the show after everything “was out of control”.
“I really, honestly, felt like, “I don’t deserve this. I don’t need this. I know who I am. I’m a good person.” And I was sitting back going, “If I was someone watching this, I would think, ‘Well, there must be some truth to it because it’s not stopping,’” she explained. “Of course they’re going to believe this because I’m not addressing it because I was told not to and you can imagine what that felt like.”
DeGeneres will sit down with Oprah Winfrey for a special episode on Ellen on 13 May.
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