Why Ellen is ending her talk show In an interview Degeneres has had countless high-profile guests on her show, including A-list celebrities like Rob Lowe (pictured) and former presidents. 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' has come under fire for its toxic workplace in the past year. The Ellen Show started as the little program that could and became an absolute phenomenon., He added, It was and is an indelible piece of the television landscape, and it will be sorely missed.. Watch Sneak. And then suddenly someone was like, hey, you know what would be good clickbait, is if the be kind lady isn't kind. No. She is working on new projectsfor HBO Max. The talk show host "seemed very sad," the insider said. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Don't do it," DeGeneres jokingly added. Ellen is the one person that I've been assigned to -- and I've been assigned to quite a few celebrities -- that has never taken the time to say hi to me," Majercak claimed. Also starring in "Ellen" were Jeremy Piven and Joely Fisher, two stars who the ex-employee said were "nothing" like DeGeneres off-camera. The TV host, 41, was diagnosed with epiglottitis and hospitalized recently. DEGENERES: I started it because at the time there were a lot of young gay boys being either, you know, killed or bullied into suicide because they were gay. Between September and February, the show brought in $127.6 million in advertising revenue, according to the research firm Kantar. Like that's really exciting.". DeGeneres, who noted she recently reached the 3,000-episode milestone, went on to explain her decision to end the talk show, which premiered in 2003. Per Nielsen's ratings in March, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" lost over 1 million viewers over the course of the shows current season. But when I do, I go, Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Derek Westervelt will continue to executive-produce. That episode scored the biggest ratings for Ellen in four years. "We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter. Managers of local TV stations initially did not think the same. When we have a heads up an ending is coming, there's something that is really inspiring about it.". Ratings dropped, and just about a year ago, DeGeneres announced the series would end after this season. Legal Statement. "I'm holding their hands and walking them through individuals and large groups of people. I had no idea. There was a toxic element, and it's because people are so on edge, and it's because of her," the third former staffer alleged. Three former staffers who worked on programs featuring Ellen DeGeneres say they are not at all surprised that her daytime talk show is coming to an end after its 2020 toxic workplace scandal. She said, "When you're a creative person, you constantly need to be challengedand as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore.". After an investigation by Warner Bros., the company that produces the show, three high-level producers were fired. ", In her recent interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Ellen saidthe issue "almost impacted the show," adding, "It was very hurtful to me. Thank you. Ellen DeGeneres plans to end her daytime talk show after its upcoming 19th season. (Getty). "It's been an incredibly emotional week for Ellen," a source close to Ellen told E! I am Ellen DeGeneres. WebThe Ellen DeGeneres Show (TV Series 20032023) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. News theywere taking the allegations "very seriously. I just kept saying to Portia [de Rossi], if I was a fan of somebody and even if I wasn't, I would think there must be some truth to it because it's not stopping. Jeannie Mai is ending her "Dancing With the Star" journey, Fox News can confirm. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is attempting a behind-the-scenes course correction. Although all good things must come to an end, you still have hope that the truly great things never will, Mike Darnell, the president of the Warner Bros. unscripted television division, said in a statement on Wednesday. The host also announced that the shows resident DJ, Stephen tWitch Boss, was promoted to co-executive producer. By Im hearing that some people felt that I wasnt kind or too short with them, or too impatient. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. However, over the last six months the show has averaged1.5 million viewers. Majercak previously told Fox News that he not only provided security to DeGeneres during the night of the 86th Academy Awards but also to her mother and wife, Portia de Rossi. Mr. Paratore introduced her to people at stations across the country, the affiliates agreed to carry Ellen and it was a hit, often drawing an audience of roughly three million. It was too coordinated. "The issue is these three executive producers running the show who are in charge of all these people [and] who make the culture and are putting out this feeling of bullying and being mean. Jeannie Mai is making a surprise appearance on her talk show! DeGeneres' show is currently in its 18th season. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Connelly, Lassner and Westervelt have been with the show since its inception in 2003. The third employee alleged there was one staffer whose job it was to mop the floors of the "Ellen DeGeneres" stage each day. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Because while daytime TV (and dance!) "I was really proud of her, actually," he shared. I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that shes one of the dopest people on the fking planet. More: Trailblazing women in entertainment, including Ellen DeGeneres, Mariah Carey, more. Buried in Salem, Oregon, USA. DEGENERES: I lost my career. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. I know who I am. Later on Thursday, DeGeneres will be joined by Oprah Winfrey during her May 13 episode to further discuss the show's final season. Three of the daytime talk shows senior producers executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, as well as co-executive producer Jonathan Norman have been fired, our sister publication Variety reports. The trio was suspended in the wake of the BuzzFeed story and have since been terminated, multiple sources said. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldnt have come back this season," she said. And should Ellen's departure make room for a perpetually cheerful new host with an affable personality and his ownsweet dance moves, well, he wouldn't be mad at it. When I got to The Ellen DeGeneres Show' and said hi to her, she looked at me like I was blacked out. According to the publication, nearly a dozen former employees said it was common for one producer, whose name E! ", She added: "This is 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.' What's more, a third former staffer, speaking on anonymity, who worked on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" set for a couple years beginning in 2016, said friends and family members "would never believe" him when he previously spoke about her allegedly rude behavior. But you will never, ever have a time like this where you were held in the public's eye and received the joy in such a way. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP). All Rights Reserved. I never saw anything that would even point to that.". 2023 Variety Media, LLC. 2023 E! OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, yeah. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER, "People put a lot of thought into watching the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Some people set their lives up around what she talks about, what she recommends, and how she lives her life," he said. We get to check back in with people," tWitch detailed. After more than 3,000 episodes, the finale one airs Thursday. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says DeGeneres is a pioneering voice with a complicated legacy. But we'd stand right outside and were ready when it opened. For 18 years, it has been a daily hour of light jokes, cash giveaways and gossipy chats with Hollywood A-listers. "'The show has bled viewers since the toxic environment around Ellen and her show was made public," the source added. Am I surprised it happened? One time I was talking to Portia, but she thought I was talking to myself because of the other times when I was talking to myself, and she thought I was talking to her," she joked. In 1986, Ms. DeGeneres was the first female comedian making her The Tonight Show debut to be invited by Johnny Carson to sit by his desk, a gesture of respect. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP), "I learned that things happen here that never should have happened," DeGeneressaid on the show at the time. You always felt like there was something different when you walked on that set. Drop em in a comment below. Host Ellen DeGeneres "had announced it three years ago that she signed on for three more years," he explained to E! You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Jim wouldnt accept that.. Religious leaders ran ads in newspapers condemning her, and an unsure entertainment industry recoiled. "Hopefully she sees the error of her ways and she'll change her behavior in the future and treat people normally, kindly and nice," the ex-staffer said. ELLEN DEGENERES SAYS PORTIA DE ROSSI WAS HER 'ROCK' DURING TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT SCANDAL: 'SHE KEPT ME GOING', DeGeneres' show is in its 18th season. So let me give you some advice. Im a multi-layered person, and I try to be the best person I can be and I try to learn from my mistakes, DeGeneres said, according to People. Several employees also said producers had sexually harassed them. Saying she felt some of the criticism she faced during the scandal was unfair and inaccurate, DeGeneres told "Today Show" host Savannah Guthrie last year she now regrets centering her talk show on the slogan. ", Lassner's response cametwo weeks after news broke about the talk show's "toxic work environment.". 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The hostess herself has also been accused in recent months of poor behavior towardsome guestsandlesser-known celebrities. "There were also articles in the press and on social media that said that I am not who I appeared to be on TV because I became known as the be kind lady. Your thoughts on Ellen-gate? She added: "I thought the world needed more kindness and it was a reminder that we all needed that, and I think we need it more than ever right now.". As a comedian, Ive always understood the importance of," she said, pausing: "timing. I categorically deny any kind of sexual impropriety," the producer's statement said in part. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. A fter what will ultimately be 19 years on the air, The Ellen DeGeneres Show will officially come to an end in 2022. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. DEGENERES: And it wasn't to make a political statement. The Ellen DeGeneres Show was investigated by WarnerMedia after a report from BuzzFeed News in July, in which current and former employees alleged there was a toxic work environment on set, Fox News reported. In a four-minute monologuethat will be broadcast on Thursday's program, DeGeneres said: "Two years ago, I signed a deal for three more years and I always knew in my heart that Season 19 would be my last. Obviously theres some things to address, but from my standpoint and from countless others, theres been love, Boss toldUs Weekly. More momentously, as the star of the hit ABC sitcom Ellen in 1997, she announced that she was gay. After the 2010 suicide of Tyler Clementi, a gay college student who was bullied, Ms. DeGeneres adopted her catchphrase, ending each episode with the words Be kind to one another.. Ellen plans to discuss the news of her upcoming talk show departure more on her series on Thursday, May 13, sitting down with longtime pal and daytime predecessor Oprah Winfrey. (NBC). CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER. The following month,a former bodyguard who was assigned to protectDeGeneresduring her hosting gig at the 2014 Oscars told us the star was "very cold.". Yes, former daytime TV queen DeGeneres' Game of Games aired in evenings for four seasons, but it won't get a fifth (at least on NBC). Three top producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show are leaving after allegations of racism and employee mistreatment, Variety reported on Monday. All rights reserved. WebBorn on 24 Mar 1844. Ellen DeGeneres has penned a letter to the PMC Entertainment. I hope that I was somewhat of a catalyst to giving others support to allow them to feel comfortable enough to step up and say, You know what? Drop ins from Ellen's most famous friends are all but assured asare the "trips down memory lane" she's promised. My name is there, my name is there, my name is on underwear," the host joked. Once at the very top of her field, Ms. DeGeneres, 63, was bringing in roughly the same number of viewers as Maury Povich and Kelly Clarkson, daytime hosts who, until recently, did not give her much competition. "As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done. Market data provided by Factset. DeGeneres sent a letter to her staff shortly after those reports came out, insisting that she always wanted her show to be place of happiness, and that she was disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. Moving forward, the entire staff including DeGeneres will participate in diversity and inclusion workshops. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I was like, Isnt anybody aware what's going on that the staff at the Ellen show had seen?' DeGeneres daytime talk show had dropped dramatically in viewership following the star's toxic workplace scandal that dominated headlines last year. Warner Bros. declined to comment on the specifics of the investigation. She noted all this in her on-air apology, telling viewers, Being known as the Be Kind Lady is a tricky position to be in. Earlier this week, Andy Lassner spoke out on Twitter after a follower insinuated The Ellen DeGeneres Show was being canceled due to allegations made Your twitter account always made me laugh," Lassner's Twitter follower commented on his post. Ellen DeGeneres has told viewers she is ending her long-running TV show because "I truly have felt like next season was the right time" to bring it to a close. News that Ellen called for a last-minute all-staff meetingon the afternoon of Tuesday, May 11, andthen broke the news about her departure. "I really did think about not coming back. I thought something was going on because it was too orchestrated. Kevin Hart, for example, posted the following message of support on Instagram: Its crazy to see my friend go thru what shes going thru publicly. All Rights Reserved. "She'sbeen working really, really, really hard,"tWitchnoted. ", Having a front row seat for the past seven years to the demands of helming your own daytime talk show did little to convincethe So You Think You Can Dance alumthatEllen would be inking a new contract. That idea hadn't really occurred to the comedian either. Ellen was a natural outgrowth of Ms. DeGeneress standup act. Last July, Tom Majercak, the bodyguard whose job it was to protect DeGeneres throughout the awards show, claimed to Fox News in an exclusive interview that she was "cold" to him. The decline seems to have affected the bottom line. "She also announced the Tig Notaro animated comedy special on HBO Max, NBC's Family Game Fight was announced two months ago, NBC's Ellen's Game of Games, FOX's Masked Dancer, etc. "So I feltthat she was going to stay true to that. Ellen first addressed the controversyin her season 18 premiere. The news was shared during a videoconference call with over 200 staff members of the show, during which an emotional DeGeneres also spoke and apologized again to staffers, according to Variety. Accuracy and availability may vary. Legal Statement. But the talk show, which she started in 2003, allowed her to reintroduce herself to America as the queen of nice, as homophobia in show business was waning. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "We spent a lot of time on the stage going over doors, metal detectors, understanding signs of obsessed fans to look out for, and then every time there was a break from each take, we would escort Ellen to her trailer," the ex-employee said. Three producers of the show are leaving amid allegations of racism and mistreatment on the set. On July 16, individuals, whoremained anonymous out of fear of retribution, told Buzzfeed News thatthey faced microaggressions, were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days and were subjected to favoritism by executive producers. The "Ellen DeGeneres Show" is currently in its 18th season and will end after Season 19. "People focus on rumors about how Ellen is mean and everything like that, but that's not the problem," one former employee told Buzzfeed News. DeGeneres' show emphasized the phrase be kind to one another, saying it at the end of episodes, creating a line of merchandise with the slogan, featuring charity drives and giveaways, and developing a subscription box filled with items she selected called the Be Kind box. Andy Swift / DeGeneres is said to make $50 million a year in a contract that expires next year and she has spoken publicly in the past about possibly ending the show. Quietly, she was a groundbreaker, even early in her career. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! "Nobody likes to see a show end or their paycheck stop, but I'm sure a lot of people on that set are probably relieved that it's over. The investigation led to interviews with over 100 people connected to the show, and though it didnt find evidence of systemic racism, it did find that more could be done in regards to diversity, according to Fox News. In a 2018 interview with The Times, she suggested she was weary of always having to put on a cheerful face and said she had been prepared to leave the show until her brother, the comedian Vance DeGeneres, persuaded her to stay on, arguing that people needed a break from the volatility of the Trump years. She started out as a lighthearted comic with an absurdist streak, a rare figure whose jokes were family-friendly in the blustery, macho comedy world of the 1980s, when the noisier Sam Kinison, Eddie Murphy and Andrew Dice Clay drew the crowds. I'm 35 years old. She had indeed hinted at pulling the plug in recent years. "It was just not the greatest place to work. News. Right on the heels of that, I read in the press that there was a toxic work environment. An enduring daytime TV hit suffered a sharp ratings decline after complaints of workplace misconduct clanged against the performers public image. You always felt like there was something different when you walked on that set. "Also, on the periodic table, 19 is the atomic number for potassium.". Copyright 2022 NPR. A host of former employees came forward with allegations of everything from racist comments made by senior producers to staffers being fired for taking time off to attend family funerals. 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