Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announced on Wednesday that the show's upcoming season will be its last.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that the decision fell to DeGeneres and has been a few years in the making. The show is going to end proceeding its nineteenth season, which will air in 2022. She informed her staff earlier in the week of her final decision. She also told the news outlet:
"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."
In the interview, she also opened up about her wife Portia's encouragement in Ellen moving on from the show, starting a few years ago. She said:
"[Portia] wants me to do things that I'm challenged by and she's watched me come home every day saying, "I just feel like there's something more I could be doing." I care about the environment. I care about animals. I care about design and furniture … So, definitely people have been saying, "Why don't we just try to go a little longer?" But 19 years is a long time to do anything."
DeGeneres will also publicly discuss her decision in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday's airing of her show.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show is produced by Warner Bros. The Unscripted TV President of the company Mike Darnell reportedly urged Ellen to reconsider her decision up until late April. He also said:
"Although all good things must come to an end, you still have hope that truly great things never will."
