We’ve known for months now that Ellen DeGeneres was getting close to retiring from daytime television. It’s a moment that happens for every popular daytime talk show host at one point. The fans had to say goodbye to Rosie O’Donnell, they had to say goodbye to Oprah Winfrey, and on May 26th, 2022 it will be Ellen’s turn. The show made the announcement today and revealed some final guests, also sharing a comment from the host herself along with a roundup of memorable moments over the years leading up to the big finale. Take a look.
From Jamie Foxx riling up the crowd to the more recent time when Jennifer Aniston appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and got emotional as part of its final season lineup, some highlighted moments shine with joy and others are emotional. The video was designed to remind all the fans what Ellen brought to the table over the years, but that doesn’t make it any more or any less impactful.
Along with the May 26th finale date, the other big piece of news is that The Ellen Show has announced its final slate of guests. That list, like the video, also includes some heavy hitters.
- Portia de Rossi
- Zac Efron
- Jennifer Garner
- Kim Kardashian
- Diane Keaton
- David Letterman
- Adam Levine
- First Lady Michelle Obama
- Behati Prinsloo
- Gwen Stefani
- Channing Tatum
- Serena Williams
- More to come...
It’s only fitting that Ellen DeGeneres’ wife Portia de Rossi gets one of those final slots, but the name I’m really most interested in seeing here is Dave Letterman. Of all of the final guests, only Letterman can really know how it feels to end a long-running talk show and transition into something next. For him, that was a big beard and a very lucrative Netflix show (that interestingly also featured Kim Kardashian). For Ellen DeGeneres, who knows? No offense to First Lady Michelle Obama or GOAT Serena Williams, but that’s the interview I’m most excited to tune in for.
DeGeneres dealt with controversy during the pandemic after a bombshell report made claims about a toxic work environment on set, though Ellen wasn't specifically cited. Ellen later addressed those claims, but by May of last year, she'd decided her show was coming to an end. She's opened up about ending The Ellen Show already, feeling the series had reached the end of its run "creatively" and simply saying: "It's time."
It’s hard to believe, but it’s really the end of an era. While The Ellen Show might be going out with more of a whimper than a bang in some ways, it’s worth remembering that Ellen is a good interviewer and has made a lot of people laugh, cry and dance over the years. She made a mark on daytime television in a way that probably would have been hard for anyone else, particularly given she had to follow Oprah Winfrey in that role. 3000+ episodes of her show have been produced over a period of nearly 20 years and those programs, interviews and bits generate billions of views every single year. It is, simply put, the end of an era.
