Ellen DeGeneres is leaving her talk show after 18 years.
Ellen DeGeneres
The 63-year-old star has announced that is calling time on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' because it is not challenging her as a "creative person" anymore.
The comedian will appear in one more series, but the chat show will conclude after the 2021/2022 season wraps.
Ellen's decision comes after the show was hit by toxic workplace accusations made in July 2020 in which she was accused of bullying past employees, guests and even celebrities appearing on the show in accounts provided by ex-staff members.
In the wake of the toxic workplace allegations and the coronavirus pandemic ratings on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' had plummeted.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said: "When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged – and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore."
Ellen - who is married to actress Portia de Rossi - now has her sights set on breaking into movies as well as focusing on her conservation work.
She said: "A sitcom seems like a walk in the park compared to this, 180 shows a year. I don’t know if that’s really what I want to do next, but movies for sure.
"If there were a great role, I’d be able to do that, which I’m not able to do now. I’m opening up my campus in Rwanda next year and I want to be more involved with conservation and everything that matters to me as far as the environment and animals."
On May 13, Ellen will give an interview to Oprah Winfrey to discuss the end of the programme.
At the start of the last season of the talk show, Ellen opened with an apology in response to the Buzzfeed News expose.
She said: "All right, let's get to it. As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show. And then there was an investigation.
"I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected.
"I know that I am in a position of privilege and power and I realise that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility at what happens at my show.
"This is 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'. I am Ellen DeGeneres. We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace and what we want for the future. We have made the necessary changes and today, we are starting a new chapter."
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