Alex Carson
Ellen Degeneres began as a sitcom star and voice actress. She’s moved on to host a successful talk show.
Despite its previous success, toxic workplace allegations were too much for it to overcome. Ellen regrettably announced that the 19th season would be the show’s last.
She gave a public apology but claimed that the allegations weren’t the only reason she was leaving. She attempted to make the choice seem like it was her own and had been years in the making.
It’s unclear where Ellen will go from here or what will replace her popular show’s timeslot. All we know for sure is that it won’t be returning to TV.
Like and subscribe for more on Ellen’s life and career. Watch our video to learn about the deeper reasons that explain why The Ellen Show was canceled after 20 years.
Ellen’s Path to the Show
Ellen DeGeneres was born on January 26th, 1958 in Metairie, Louisiana. She dreamed of being a veterinarian as a child but felt she wasn’t smart enough and took up odd jobs to make ends meet instead.
Ellen began stand-up comedy in the 80s. Her first major screen appearance was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1986. She appeared on several other talk shows after that and won a devoted audience with her comedic chops.
Ellen later starred in a sitcom simply called Ellen from 1994-1998. She also provided the voice of the forgetful fish Dory in the 2003 Pixar film Finding Nemo and starred in other movies such as Mr. Wrong in 1996 and EdTV in 1999.
Despite her numerous early appearances on talk shows, she never expected to host one when she moved on from sitcoms and movies. The Ellen Show debuted in 2003. It has aired over 3,000 episodes and lasted for 20 years, allowing its host to create a brand and become a household name. Her current net worth is approximately $500 million.
Ellen’s History of Controversy
Ellen Degeneres claims that the message of her talk show is to encourage viewers to be kind to each other. Fans enjoyed laughing along with her for years.
Despite this positive message, the host is no stranger to controversy. She’s angered the public by associating with and offending other major names, putting out questionable social media posts, and more.
Ellen came out as gay in 1997 on an episode of Ellen and married girlfriend Portia Del Rosi in 2008. She later filmed a 2012 sponsorship ad with JC Penny, the department store she used to work at. Both of these choices angered anti-LGBTQ critics like the group One Million Moms. They spoke out against her choice to be openly gay and called for similar-minded individuals to boycott JCP.
Like many celebrities, Ellen has also made some questionable posts on social media. She was ridiculed for a vague Black Lives Matter post that mentioned the issue without providing any solutions. She was also accused of racism for a Tweet about Usain Bolt where she photoshopped herself riding on his back. The public was outraged, but the Olympic runner showed no signs of being offended and even shared the post himself.
Fans didn’t appreciate Ellen’s friendship with George Bush or attempt to restart Kevin Hart’s career because both men were allegedly homophobic. They also hated her comments comparing quarantining in her million-dollar mansion to being in jail.
Other celebrities admitted that Ellen can be difficult to work with. Bachelor star Corinne Olympios said she was very aggressive. Kathy Griffith is still feuding with her and sending out vitriolic comments. Her interview with Dakota Johnson was considered unnecessarily cruel.
These controversies affected Ellen’s career but weren’t enough to end it. The more recent claims tarnished her image and may be the last straw in the eyes of the public
The Toxic Workplace Allegations
Ellen’s most damaging controversy was the recent allegations of a toxic workplace on her talk show. The claims were so serious that they prompted an internal investigation.
Rumors began in 2017 that there was more going on behind the scenes of The Ellen Show than fans realized. The claims made her seem like a tyrannical leader who lorded her power over staff and guests, but there was no proof of the claims at the time.
COVID-19 didn’t make the situation at The Ellen Show any better. When Hollywood shut down in the spring of 2020, Variety reported that Ellen didn’t inform her crew members about whether they’d still have a job. There were also allegations that she hired non-union workers to replace most of them during remote broadcasts.
The internet added fuel to the flames of the toxic workplace claims. A viral Twitter thread collected stories of Ellen mistreating her employees. They claimed she never greeted her staff, fired them after they returned from maternity leave, and created a toxic work environment.
Details about the investigation and what it found haven’t been released to the public yet. If they ever come to light, they should provide a better picture of the real reason The Ellen Show was canceled and how its host treated her staff.
Angel Reddock-Wright is a leading authority in workplace issues who has spoken on the situation with The Ellen Show. She hopes that the allegations against Ellen will serve as an example for the rest of Hollywood that toxic behavior will not tolerated. Angel feels that now is the best time for Ellen to walk away and attempt to leave on a positive note. She also notes that The Ellen Show began to struggle as soon as the allegations came to light.
The Ratings Drop
Public opinion of celebrities changes when they become entangled in controversy. For years, no amount of questionable choices were enough to bring down The Ellen Show. That all changed after the toxic workplace allegations.
Ellen’s public apology caused viewership to spike at the beginning of Season 18, but it began to consistently lose 1 million viewers after that. It had 2.6 million fewer viewers from September 2020-March 2021 than it had from September 2019-March 2020.
There may be other factors affecting this massive ratings drop. Fans could have grown tired of the 20-year-old show and moved on to something new. What’s undeniable is that the allegations likely played a part and encouraged viewers to tune into shows with a more publicly acceptable host.
Viewers question whether the massive ratings drop could be the real reason The Ellen Show is ending. Viewership is the main metric that networks use to decide whether or not to cancel a show. Other major TV shows, such as the cult classic Freaks and Geeks, also canceled due to low ratings.
Like and subscribe for more on the most impactful controversies surrounding your favorite celebrities. Keep watching to see how Ellen responded to the toxic workplace allegations and what could happen to her career as a result.
Ellen’s Explanations
All stars who face repeated controversies need to react as soon as possible to save their image. This was true for Ellen when she accused of the exact sort of unkindness that she claims to fight against.
Ellen did everything she could to save her show. She spoke in interviews, on her show, and on every possible platform about the allegations.
On May 11, 2021, Ellen said that the decision to end the show was years in the making and that she had the final say. She claims that she was going to stop after Season 16 but signed on for 3 more years. That time period was up this year and, according to her timeline, the show would have ended anyway even if the allegations had never come to light.
Ellen addressed the allegations on an episode of the show that aired on May 13th. She attempted to apologize to anyone she’d hurt.
That same day, Ellen conducted an interview with Today. She insisted that the toxic workplace allegations were not the reason she was ending the show.
She admits that the claims hurt her and made her consider not returning to the show. Despite this, she also claims to see no validity in the allegations. She was apparently unaware of any form of toxic work environment or harmful actions against her employees. She also feels that the claims orchestrated against her.
Ellen was once again vague when speaking about what the investigation revealed. She says that she “learned some things” and regrets that anyone was hurt.
Ellen made sure to also express her gratitude for the 19-year journey her talk show was able to take her on. She admitted that she would miss connecting with others but that it was a necessary way to move forward.
Despite her efforts, the drop in ratings suggests that not all of Ellen’s fans viewed her responses as a sincere apology. It’s too late for her to save the show now, but she may need to speak again to repair her image as the Be Kind lady.
What’s Next for Ellen?
Ellen has been hosting her talk show for over 20 years. Moving on to a new project may be difficult after so much time spent in one area of the entertainment industry.
Fans can only speculate about what will happen when The Ellen Show goes off the air. The Kelly Clarkson Show could take its timeslot, or Tiffany Haddish could replace it with her own talk show.
It’s equally unclear what Ellen will do after the show ends next year. She claims that it wasn’t challenging her creatively anymore and needs a more challenging project. This is a vague desire, so we’ll have to wait to see what type of projects thrill her enough in the future.
Fan opinions may dictate what Ellen’s able to do after her show goes off the air. Her career may never be able to recover from the toxic workplace allegations. This controversy sits on top of and only adds to the public unrest created by the many others she’s had to face.
The Ellen Show entertained viewers for over 20 years, and they stuck with its host through a string of controversies. Recent allegations of a toxic work environment led to a drop in viewership and suggest that the world may have finally had enough.
Do you think Ellen will find another project to work on soon after her show goes off the air? Let us know in the comments below. Like and subscribe for more on the carers and lives of the most memorable talk show hosts of all time.
