A lot has been written about the backlash surrounding Ellen DeGeneres in the early days of the pandemic. Though the daytime host subsequently apologized and got back on the airwaves, The Ellen Show’s ratings suffered and now the longtime host has decided to call it quits… at least after her contract ends next TV season. But while she’s spoken out on her show about the choice, one very much affected person who hasn’t spoken out is Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Ellen’s sidekick. Until now.
The daytime sidekick has been by Ellen DeGeneres’ side on TV since 2014 -- a sizable chunk of time. In 2017, he even moved into a role as a co-executive producer on the show. Now, DJ tWitch is revealing how he feels about Ellen’s decision to say goodbye to The Ellen Show.
I was really proud of her, actually. Because I know that she's been at it for 18-plus years now. And it's not easy. We've employed thousands and thousands and thousands of people, changed a lot of lives, but that's something to do that same thing every single day. And I'm proud of her that she's kind of put an earmark on the closing of a saga to begin her next chapter. Because that's huge and monumental in itself.
Speaking to E!, it comes off as if DJ tWitch has thought a lot about the decision Ellen DeGeneres made for herself (and subsequently the many, many people she’s employed over the years). He shared his personal feelings about Ellen making her decision along with how he feels The Ellen Show did within the TV landscape over the years.
Of course, it’s worthing noting that DJ tWitch is not going to need to worry about work after The Ellen Show ends. The dancer and choreographer had a career before landing the gig on The Ellen Show and last month, we also learned Boss will be hosting Clash of the Cover Bands, a new series that is expected to head to E!. That project is also expected to feature Meghan Trainor, Adam Lambert, and Ester Dean. I'm not mentioning this to lead to the assumption he’s ready for Ellen’s series to wrap, but it is worth noting he will have options when the day does come.
Still, perhaps the ultimate ending of the daytime talk show has not quite sunk in yet. While DJ tWitch admitted Ellen DeGeneres deciding to end the series was not so much a surprise given Ellen's exit had been hinted at even before the controversy, it’s still hard to know how he is going to feel as the show embarks on its final TV season on the air. He noted:
I know that the emotions are going to be very overwhelming as we continue to kind of inch away to that last day of filming. But, for me, I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I possibly can because it's been such a huge blessing.
Outside of the interview circuit, DJ tWitch and Ellen DeGeneres had their own candid conversation on the air about the series ending, how grateful he’s been for the opportunity, and how wonderful it was that Ellen gave him the chance to “just come out and be himself,” a guy who likes to dance. You can see their full conversation from the series previously below.
Ultimately, Stephen “tWitch” Boss also says that there’s “so much love and gratitude” wrapped up in the coming year and it seems as if he’s looking forward to the two’s last hurrah as a team. We’ll have to wait and see if Ellen DeGeneres herself is able to win back her audience during her final season on the air, but in the meantime her relationship with tWitch is certainly one key component that's working.
