It’s been a few days since Ellen DeGeneres made the timely but not wholly unprecedented announcement about ending The Ellen Show. The news comes as DeGeneres’ contract is ending next TV season and also after the daytime TV host herself has seen her series weather controversy and accusations over the past year. Now, other daytime TV host Wendy Williams, who is no stranger to controversy herself, is weighing in on the matter.
Wendy Williams and her producer Suzanne Bass discussed Ellen DeGeneres’ announcement during the recent “Hot Topics” segment of The Wendy Williams Show. The two discussed how Ellen DeGeneres will be leaving her show after 19 years, with Williams mentioning,
19 years on TV doesn't change your life, it exposes you for the person that you really are.
Most recently, Ellen spoke to Savannah Guthrie about her feelings on what happened leading to her decision to exit The Ellen Show. She said that she felt it was time to say goodbye to her show, also noting she believes what happened in 2020 related to accusations of a toxic workplace was commentary that was “orchestrated.” The comment went viral, but if you happened to miss it, she told Guthrie that she was unaware of the discontent prior to reports coming out, as well as mentioning her own feelings regarding what happened.
I felt like somebody had some kind of, you know? I mean, I really didn't understand it, I still don't understand it. Yeah, I thought I thought something was going on that that, because it was too orchestrated, it was too coordinated.
But Wendy Williams doesn’t seem to be buying it. In fact, she rebutted another portion of Ellen DeGeneres’ take on the matter, which had alleged that Ellen had only gotten happy feedback from guests over the years. In fact, Williams mentioned she’d been on the show and felt like Ellen’s portrayal of what was happening wasn’t accurate.
I’m not sure all the guests were happy. I was a guest. I was unhappy. Just sayin’ [sic] and people called me out about it before I was able to say anything about it. Like Oh my gosh! You know what I’m saying. Listen, she wants to do other projects, which is great. She’s got more money than she knows what to do with, she and Portia. They don’t have children; she never has to work a day again in her life.
Wendy Williams has appeared on The Ellen Show more than once, but the episode that stands out to me is that awkward time Wendy Williams and Ellen DeGeneres played “Heads Up” on her show. Seemingly an innocuous game, the two ultimately got stuck after Williams tried to compare Ellen’s own looks to the Biebs and the chemistry between both --who seemingly should have commonalities given their shared experiences as daytime hosts -- just wasn’t there.
So, it doesn’t surprise me that Wendy Williams maybe didn’t have the best time while appearing on the show. Though, it’s also worth pointing out that Ellen DeGeneres is also her competitor in the talk show ratings and losing The Ellen Show could ultimately be good news for The Wendy Williams Show, though The Ellen Show's ratings are not what they once were.
Meanwhile, The Ellen Show will be ending, but it’s not like the show will be calling it quits tomorrow. Ellen DeGeneres still has about a year left on her contract before she can move on to whatever is next. As for the 255 employees she mentioned in the Savannah Guthrie interview, that gives them a year to find new work.
