ellen to end show
Daytime talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres may very well end her long-running syndicated talk show in 2022—the end of her contract with Warner Bros.—according to Hollywood Reporter.
She announced the decision to her staff on May 11.
The show had been suffering in Nielsen ratings when staffers alleged the show was produced in a toxic environment for employees.
“While we are disappointed, we are extremely supportive of Ellen's decision to end her show next season,” Warner Bros. TV Group Chairman Channing Dungey responded to Hollywood Reporter.
A ratings hit since its debut in 2003, Warner Bros. had hoped to sign a new contract to continue on, feeling that DeGeneres could recover from the workplace controversies.
“Ellen once said that all she ever wanted to do was make people feel good and laugh, and she has accomplished that and so much more,” Dungey continued.
Hollywood Reporter said that DeGeneres' show had given away almost $70 million to charities and over $300 million in gifts to audience members.
Forbes magazine reported that the show made DeGeneres on average $84 million per year.
The 63-year old native Louisianan started out as a stand-up comedian and appeared on The Tonight Show with legendary host Johnny Carson.
In 1997, DeGeneres famously came out as a lesbian on The Oprah Winfrey Show and was written into her eponymous sitcom, Ellen.
She was declared a trailblazer for other out LGBT performers who sought to achieve DeGeneres' level of fame and success.
In 2008, DeGeneres married actress Portia de Rossi.
DeGeneres has won Emmys, People's Choice Awards, the Golden Globes Carol Burnett Award, and the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
She has starred in many movies but is best known for the Disney Pixar animated character Dory—in 2003's Finding Nemo and 2016's Finding Dory.
