Ellen DeGeneres will end her talk show in 2022. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the daytime host says, “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 upcoming season 19 will be the last, as she shared with her longtime staff Tuesday. The comedian will talk about her decision to end her popular television run with a good friend and “daytime predecessor” Oprah Winfrey on Ellen’s May 13 show.
Ellen also shares in the interview she wanted the 16th season to be her last, but at the urging of show producers and her brother, she signed another contract for 3-years, knowing it would be it after that time.
“I was going to stop after season 16. That was going to be my last season and they wanted to sign for four more years and I said I’d sign for maybe for one. They were saying there was no way to sign for one. “We can’t do that with the affiliates and the stations need more of a commitment.” So, we [settled] on three more years and I knew that would be my last. That’s been the plan all along. And everybody kept saying, even when I signed, “You know, that’s going to be 19, don’t you want to just go to 20? It’s a good number.” So is 19. [Laughs]
Ellen’s actress wife, Portia de Rossi, “had been encouraging her to move on from the 180-shows-a-year gig.” To explore other creative things, like the environment, care of animals, design, and furniture, all expressed by Ellen’s many things she wants to do after the show.
In a difficult last year where workplace allegations had the daytime host under fire, Ellen says in the interview, “It almost impacted the show. It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, 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.” 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.”
There will definitely be a void in daytime television after 2022, but just as Oprah left her famed show after 25 seasons, and Ellen gears up to the the same at 19, we find comfort that Tamron Hall graces the small screens daily and we’re okay.
See original TRH article
Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP
