Ellen's Talk Show Is Officially Ending After 19 Seasons

It looks like things are wrapping up for Emmy-winning, queer TV legend Ellen DeGeneres' daytime talk show...

After a year filled with controversy surrounding a toxic workplace culture and some sinking ratings, Ellen has decided that the upcoming 19th season of her long-running, self-titled afternoon talk show will be its last. 

"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 told The Hollywood Reporter about the decision to end the show, which has been on the air since 2003 and has aired over 3,000+ episodes at the time of writing, next year in 2022.

Ellen also revealed to THR that she was originally planning to end the series after 16 seasons, but Warner Bros. TV convinced her to sign on for a few more rounds of the popular, beloved daytime talk show.

"I was going to stop after season 16," she said. "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."

We can't say we didn't see this coming, especially after that explosive BuzzFeed News exposé came out last year detailing all of the problems on the set of Ellen's show, but it's still kinda sad to see such a staple in the entertainment landscape leaving, especially since queer women still don't get the shine or attention they deserve in mainstream media. 

But you know what they say: all good things must come to an end eventually!