Tag: Ellen DeGeneres

  • Ellen DeGeneres ends daytime show with plea for compassion

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: Ellen DeGeneres brought her nearly two-decade daytime talk show to an end Thursday with a celebrity lovefest and a forceful assertion of her achievement as a gay woman daring to be herself.

    DeGeneres and guests Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink shared memories and affection as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” concluded its Emmy-winning, 3,200-plus episode run that began in September 2003.

    “Twenty years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” DeGeneres said of the pushback from TV stations.

    When the syndicated show went on the air, she was prevented from saying the word “gay” or even the pronoun “we,” DeGeneres said, since the latter would imply she had a partner. She didn’t specify who imposed the ban.

    “Sure couldn’t say wife, and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married — and now I say ‘wife’ all the time,” DeGeneres added, with a touch of defiance, as actor Portia de Rossi watched from the studio audience. They wed in 2008.

    The host, who became known for encouraging her audience to join her in impromptu dances, shared some last moves with her sidekick and DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, to the tune “Best of My Love.”

    The dancer-choreographer saluted DeGeneres as someone who inspires others because she has “the courage to step out and be your authentic self.”

    Aniston, who as the first guest on the show’s first episode gave DeGeneres a “Welcome” doormat, arrived with another that read, “Thanks for the memories.” DeGeneres noted the “Friends” star has been on the show a total of 20 times.

    “You’re welcome,” Aniston said, teasingly, then turned serious.

    “I love you, and I so appreciate you and what you have given to the world over the last 19 years. The contribution is endless,” she said. She introduced a career retrospective video that also touted DeGeneres’ philanthropic efforts, said to include more than $400 million in donations to charities and “deserving viewers.”

    “I love you,” a beaming Eilish told DeGeneres during their chat. “I love you so much, it’s dumb,” said Pink, who performed “What About Us.”

    DeGeneres’ daytime reign hit a serious bump in 2020, when the show was alleged to be a toxic workplace and three producers exited amid the claims. On the air that fall, DeGeneres apologized for “things that shouldn’t have happened,” but defended herself as being the same genuine person — if an imperfect one — on- and off-camera.

    The talk show represented a second major TV act for DeGeneres. In 1997, she made an indelible mark when she came out as a lesbian and brought her character on the ABC sitcom “Ellen” with her. The series was axed the next year.

    “Twenty-five years ago, they cancelled my sitcom because they didn’t want a lesbian to be in prime-time once a week. And I said, ‘OK, then I’ll be on daytime every day,’” DeGeneres said Thursday.

    The comedian, actor and producer has said she’ll take time to consider her next career move, but first she and de Rossi are making a trip to Rwanda. DeGeneres wrapped her daytime show with a plea to her audience, one she said was worth repeating.

    “If I’ve done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I’ve inspired you to be yourself, your true authentic self. And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don’t understand,” DeGeneres said. “By opening your heart and your mind you’re going to be that much more compassionate, and compassion is what makes the world a better place.”

  • Ellen DeGeneres gives staff USD 2 million in bonuses ahead of show’s end

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Television personality Ellen DeGeneres reportedly is rewarding her staff with a huge bonus as she prepares for the final episodes of her popular talk show, ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’.According to a new report, DeGeneres will pay out more than $2 million in bonuses to her staff, reports aceshowbiz.com.Deadline reported that while it’s not clear how the funds are being distributed, staffers on the show for one to four years will receive two-week pay. Meanwhile, staff members who have four to eight years of experience on the show will receive three-week pay and so on with longest-serving employees will get six weeks of pay.The news outlet revealed that almost 30 per cent of the show’s staff have been on the show for over 10 years. Additionally, some of the senior-most executives have been with the show for all 19 seasons.In related news, ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ also announced that the final episode will air on May 26. Throughout the years, DeGeneres has hosted over 4,000 guests on the show and distributed nearly half a billion dollars in giveaways, according to the show.She also revealed a slate of guests for its final episodes.Among them are Kim Kardashian, David Letterman, Jennifer Garner, Channing Tatum, Serena Willliams, Zac Efron, Adam Levine, Behati Prinsloo, Gwen Stefani, Diane Keaton and Ellen’s wife Portia de Rossi.”The lineup of special guests will pay tribute to the trailblazing host and share their favourite memories from DeGeneres’ 19 iconic seasons,” the show said in a statement.DeGeneres announced back in May 2021 that her long-running talk show would end this year.”I was going to stop after season 16. That was going to be my last season, and they wanted to sign for four more years and I said I’d sign maybe for one,” she said.”They were saying there was no way to sign for one. ‘We can’t do that with the affiliates and the stations need more of a commitment,’ ” she added.

  • Jennifer Hudson pitching talk show with Ellen DeGeneres team

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson is reportedly pitching a talk show that will use the team from ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ after it wraps filming next year.

    According to Variety magazine, Hudson has already shot a test show with ‘Ellen’ executive producers Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly serving as the showrunners, and the test show was even shot on the ‘Ellen’ stage, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

    Hudson’s new show would not be billed as a continuation of ‘Ellen’ and is being shopped as an “entirely new series”, although it’s considered to be Warner Bros TV’s new flagship daytime talk show once ‘Ellen’ ends.

    Variety stated: “Meetings are taking place this week and appear to be going well so far; the show has been developed as a first-run syndicated broadcast TV daily strip, and there are currently no plans to pitch to other platforms, including streamers.”

    Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show is set to come to an end next year after 19 years on air, and DeGeneres recently said she will be emotional when her show ends.

    She said: “Nineteen years is a long time to do anything. I’ve loved every minute of it. I’m gonna be very emotional…I’m not emotional yet because it’s not real yet. The last day when I walk out of here, it’s gonna be really hard.”

    She also spoke about her plans for the future and how she intends to spend some time in Africa with her wife Portia de Rossi once the show comes to an end.

    DeGeneres explained: “We are for sure gonna go. My Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund will be open then in Rwanda, so we are going to go to Africa and see my campus and take about a month and go on safari.”

    “That’s my favourite thing in the world to do … get to do things I haven’t gotten a chance to do.”

  • ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ reveals its final season’s star-studded guest list

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: As the popular American talk show ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ is heading towards its 19th and final season, which will premiere on September 13, the exclusive star-studded guest list for this last season has finally been revealed.

    According to E! News, the series will kick off its final premiere where it started: with its first-ever guest, Jennifer Aniston. It will be the ‘Friends’ alum’s 23rd time on the show, proving that she’ll always be there for longtime host Ellen DeGeneres.

    Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who will appear on the show for the 20th time, is another frequent guest set to return for season 19.

    The audience can also expect a sit-down with Kim Kardashian, which would be her first interview since her long-running docuseries ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ concluded.

    Tiffany Haddish, Imagine Dragons, Melissa McCarthy, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Julianne Moore and Melissa Etheridge, are among additional A-list guests slated for the new season.

    Ever since DeGeneres announced in May that season 19 would be the show’s last one, fans have been preparing themselves for this fall, eagerly waiting for their favourite show’s final season.

    DeGeneres shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “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.”

    Though fans didn’t anticipate the end of the show, the series’ in-house DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss revealed that he saw the final season coming.

    “[Ellen] had announced it three years ago that she signed on for three more years,” he explained to E! News in an exclusive interview in June.

    Stephen continued, “So I felt that she was going to stay true to that. It actually didn’t come as a surprise because she had already said it, you know?”

    This decision came amid an internal investigation into the show regarding reports of workplace misconduct that resulted in the ousting of three longtime producers: Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman. Though DeGeneres went on to address the situation with her staff in July 2020, she was not accused of any wrongdoing.

    “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. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case,” she said in a letter to her employees.

    DeGeneres added that she was “committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”

    Keeping up her promise, which she made in May, to make every day of season 19 “a celebration,” E! News has learned that throughout the final season, DeGeneres and her team have planned to thank the fans who’ve shown their love and support over these almost 20 years. 

  • Tiffany Haddish addresses rumours about replacing Ellen DeGeneres on talk show

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: American actor-comedian Tiffany Haddish recently set the record straight on rumours about her taking the time slot of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’. She stated that she hadn’t received any communication from the show’s team.

    She also asserted that ‘the reason I’ve even been popping up guest-hosting ‘Ellen’ is because she wanted some days off.’

    According to Fox News, the 63-year-old TV show host DeGeneres had earlier announced that she will wrap up her daytime talk show hosting duties in 2022.

    While many names are being tossed around by fans to take over the daytime slot, one has been mentioned perhaps more than any others: Tiffany Haddish.

    The 41-year-old actor Haddish has appeared on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ a number of times, both as a guest herself and as a guest host.

    After a week of speculation that she may take the reigns, the ‘Girls Trip’ star responded to the rumours during Wednesday’s episode of ‘The Breakfast Club’ podcast.

    “I haven’t commented on it because ain’t nobody that give those jobs talk to me about it.The reason I’ve even been popping up guest-hosting ‘Ellen’ is because she wanted some days off,” the comedian admitted, according to Entertainment Tonight.

    As reported by Fox News, in recent seasons, DeGeneres has notably taken more days off from her hosting gig with stars like Haddish, Rob Lowe, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Aniston and more in the hot seat.

    As per Fox News, when asked if she’d be interested in the gig, Haddish said: “I’m learning a new skill, that’s it. Y’all just watching me learn in front of everybody.”

    She shared that she’ll be back to host ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ again, but isn’t sure if anyone is looking to have her replace the ‘Mr Wrong’ actor.

    “I don’t know if that’s grooming me to take over because ain’t nobody talk to me about that. Ain’t nobody said nothing to me about that,” Haddish explained.

    Talking about if she were to take such a gig, she’d only do it “if I could get what Ellen getting.”

  • ‘Always knew 19 would be my last’: Ellen DeGeneres opens up about ending her talk show

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: After American comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announced that her much-loved chat show is coming to an end, the star told her virtual studio audience that she has long planned to wrap her show after completing 19 seasons.

    According to Variety, in ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ episode set to air Thursday, the host in her opening remarks acknowledges the news about her decision to call it a wrap after the 2021-22 season. She began her Emmy-winning run in the daytime in 2003. “Two years ago. I signed a three-year deal. I always knew in my heart that (season) 19 would be my last. Nineteen is a great number,” she said.

    As she made the final decision about her Telepictures Prods. series and spoke about her reasoning, DeGeneres’ voice broke a few times. She thanked viewers for supporting the show that transformed her life and made her a bonafide superstar.

    “The past 18 years has changed my life — you all have changed my life. I’m forever grateful to all of you for watching, for laughing, for dancing, sometimes crying. This show has been the greatest experience of my life and I owe it all to you,” she said.

    As reported by Variety, the 63-year-old talk show host likened the upcoming passage for her to an earlier chapter of her career that was also momentous, when she came out as a lesbian on her 1990s ABC sitcom ‘Ellen’ and on the cover of Time magazine.

    “In 1997 I knew it was time to come out on my sitcom and live my truth. Back then I had a vivid dream that a bird flew out of a cage and set itself free because it needed to get out of the cage. Recently I had a dream that a beautiful bird with bright red feathers whispered to me ‘You can still do stuff on Netflix.’ And that was the sign I was looking for,” stated DeGeneres.

    In recent years, the ‘Mr Wrong’ actor’s talk show has been facing rating declines. She has also taken hits to her reputation for preaching “be kind” to her audience after allegations surfaced last year about inappropriate behaviour on the set of her show.

    Per Variety, some of the show’s crew members were “furious” with the show and the host over last spring amid the COVID-19 lockdown. They were unhappy with the uncertainty about whether they would be paid while the show was produced remotely from DeGeneres’ home.

    As DeGeneres noted herself, it’s long been expected that she would wrap up her run sooner rather than later.

    The comedian hinted earlier that she will star in another comedy special for Netflix. In 2018, she fronted ‘Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable’ for the streamer, which marked her first standup special in 15 years and brought her a USD 20 million paycheck.

    Based at Warner Bros., DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production banner has also become a prolific producer of unscripted series, including NBC’s ‘Ellen’s Game of Games,’ which she has hosted since 2017.

  • Ellen DeGeneres to end her TV talk show in 2022: Reports

    The daytime host, who has seen a ratings hit after allegations of running a toxic workplace, has decided that her upcoming season will be the last, ending in 2022.

  • Ellen DeGeneres moves into Courteney Cox’s home

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: American TV personality and comedian Ellen DeGeneres recently revealed that she has been staying at ‘Friends’ alum Courteney Cox’s home in California.

    According to Fox News, during the Thursday episode of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, the ‘Finding Dory’ star explained that she’s currently in-between homes and needed somewhere to crash for a while.

    Cox was introduced as DeGeneres’ “landlord” for her virtual appearance on the show but insisted that she wasn’t a landlord, but a roommate. Later in their conversation, the comedian explained that she’s “not having marital struggles” with her wife Portia de Rossi.

    She said, “I’m not living with Courteney Cox because I’m kicked out of my house. We sold our house here in Beverly Hills and I needed a place to stay and you were kind enough to say, ‘Yes, stay at my house.’”

    While Cox, 56, was kind to let DeGeneres stay in her home, she may be regretting a bit now. Cox said that she was “nervous” to have the talk show host stay at her home, considering she hadn’t been there in a year, she’s currently in London with her boyfriend, Johnny McDaid.

  • Ellen DeGeneres Show: Justin Timberlake reveals name of second baby with Jessica Biel

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake on Sunday (local time) opened up about welcoming a second child with wife Jessica Biel.

    According to E!News, comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres shared a preview clip from her interview with the 39-year-old pop star in which he offered the first-ever confirmation of the little one who arrived in 2020.

    The couple, who married in 2012 and share 5-year-old son Silas, had not revealed they were expecting.

    “His name is Phineas, and he’s awesome and so cute, and nobody’s sleeping,” Justin told Ellen. “But we’re thrilled. We’re thrilled and couldn’t be happier. Very grateful.”

    When Ellen asked how different it is to be parenting two children instead of just one, he quipped, “We don’t see each other anymore.”

    He then added, “It’s a lot of fun, but I guess the saying goes, you go from a zone defense to a man-to-man really quickly. Sort of like, ‘You go get that one, I’ll get this one!’”

    Timberlake said that Silas is thus far enjoying his new role as a big brother.

    The ‘Cry Me A River’ performer continued to say, “Silas is super excited. Right now, he’s very much liking it. Phin can’t walk yet or chase him down, so I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”

    In July, E! News reported that the pair had welcomed their second baby, citing reports.

    Justin and Jessica have not yet publicly shared a photo of Phineas.