Ellen DeGeneres Show Losing Millions in Viewers, Revenue

Is Ellen DeGeneres finally losing her status as America's number one lesbian?

Following a difficult past few years that included reports of misconduct on her set, the host cozying up with warmonger George W. Bush, her softball interview with Kevin Hart following reports of homophobia on his part, and rumors that she's not the nice person she portrays on TV, DeGeneres is facing a new challenge: a large drop in viewership.

Normally one of the pillars of daytime TV, The Ellen DeGeneres Showhas seen a huge drop in ratings over the last six months. DeGeneres has lost over a million viewers since the beginning of 2020. Over the last six months, her show has averaged 1.5 million viewers an episode, which may seem like a lot, until you realize she was averaging 2.6 million viewers this time last year. That constitutes a 43 percent decline in viewership.

When DeGeneres opened up the 18th season of her powerhouse talk show, she did so with an apology. "As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation," she said. "I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously and want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected."

While that apology seems to distance herself from any direct wrongdoing or causing harm, she did add, "I know that I am in a position of privilege and power and with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show."

But the damage was done, and DeGeneres's show hasn't yet recovered. According to Nielsen, she's lost 38 percent of her core audience, adult women under 54, and she lost around $25 million in ad revenue.

There's also the growing popularity of Kelly Clarkson's daytime show, which is averaging 1.3 million viewers, inching closer and closer to DeGeneres's number. The two shows share a large audience and as Clarkson's grows, DeGeneres's is shrinking. While DeGeneres said she's returning for a 19th season next year, her future with the show after that is uncertain.