Ellen DeGeneres Announces Final Taping of The Ellen Show

Ellen DeGeneres posted an emotional message to Instagram on Thursday announcing the taping of the final episode of The Ellen Show. The groundbreaking show debuted in September of 2003, but in recent years had suffered turmoil following reports of a toxic work environment. The final episode of The Ellen Show will air May 26.

"When we started this show in 2003, the iPhone didn't exist," DeGeneres wrote. "Social Media didn't exist. Gay marriage wasn't legal. We watched the world change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not."

No matter what was happening in the world, however, DeGeneres wrote that her "goal was always for the show to be a place where we could all come together and laugh for an hour."

Last year, DeGeneres announced she would close The Ellen Show, saying the show was "just not a challenge anymore." The news came on the heels of a Buzzfeed report that detailed allegations of racism and a toxic work environment on the set of the show. She later apologized and fired three producers as a result of the incident.

"On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness -- no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect," DeGeneres said in a statement in 2020. "Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case."

DeGeneres's apology, though, may not have been enough. The show's ratings plunged 43 percent from in season 18 compared to the previous one, 2.6 million to 1.5 million, according to Nielsen.

DeGeneres chose to focus on the positive in her post on Thursday, though.

"Being invited into your lives has been the greatest privilege of my life and has brought me incredible joy," DeGeneres closed her message. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."