Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed the 19th season of her talk show Ellen will be it’s last.
DeGeneres confirmed the decision to wrap up the program in 2022 in an interview published in 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,”
The decision to end the chat show comes after a tumultuous two-year period for Ellen.
A series of allegations about the program regarding bullying, racism, and sexual misconduct among producers and staff emerged in 2020. An investigation of the allegations by WarnerMedia led to three executive producers being fired in August.
Ellen issued an on-air apology for her role in the poor workplace culture in September last year, however by that time the damage was done and ratings for the talk show never recovered.
As part of the carefully worded apology, DeGeneres continued to imply she had been previously unaware of the allegations before they became public.
“I learned that things happened 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 am in a position of privilege and power, and I realise that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
The past 12 months has seen the tarnished program struggle to book the big name guests it was once famous for, and COVID restrictions in the US have also limited audience interactions.
Ellen airs in Australia on Nine and Foxtel’s Fox Arena channel. DeGeneres will discuss the decision on Thursday’s episode of the show with guest Oprah Winfrey.
