The Ellen DeGeneres Show recently aired its last episode after 19 seasons.
The show first premiered on September 8, 2003, with a mix of DeGeneres’s witty banter and dance moves. Since the show wrapped up, let’s see what went wrong, which ended one of the longest-running shows.
Toxic workplace
The show ended almost two years after allegations of a toxic workplace behind-the-scenes arose in the summer of 2020. There were rumors that the show was not a kind place to work, but for a while they were just that.
However, in April 2020, there were confirmed reports that the show’s crew was upset with the way top producers had — and had not — communicated with them amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while they hired a nonunion company to help them film Ellen at DeGeneres’s home.
Read more: Jennifer Aniston gets teary eyes at final season of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’
Three months later, a report, citing former employees, described an environment where people were told not to speak to the star when they saw her and they lost their job after attending a family funeral.
Apologies
At the time, the producers released a statement, which read in part: “Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment. We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us.”
Last season
Despite DeGeneres’s efforts, ratings for her show took a hit as the season wore on, according to numbers from Nielsen research. Between September and March 2021, the audience declined from 2.6 million to 1.5 million. In May 2021, DeGeneres announced that her next season would be her last
According to her, the toxic workplace allegations and ratings were not factors and the plan had always been to wrap it up when her contract expired in 2022, so that she could seek new challenges.
Last broadcast
During show’s last broadcast, DeGeneres admired at the difference in the world since when she startedhosting. She also notably thanked her staff, and she also encouraged fans to open their hearts. “I hope that what I’ve been able to do in the last 19 years has made you happy, and I was able to take a little bit of pain away from a bad day or anything you’re going through. And I hope I’ve been able to inspire you to make other people happy and to put good in the world, to feel like you have a purpose.”
She continued, “And I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again… If I’ve done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I’ve inspired you to be yourself, your true, authentic self. And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them. Even if you don’t understand, they’re showing you who they are, and that’s the biggest gift anybody can ever give you,” she said. “And by opening your heart and your mind, you’re gonna be that much more compassionate, and compassion is what makes the world a better place.”
She concluded, “Thank you so much for being on this journey with me. I feel the love, and I send it back to you. Bye.”
