News of The Ellen DeGeneres Show ending comes less than a year after three senior members of its production staff exited the series following an internal investigation of allegations of a “toxic work environment.” Ellen first addressed the controversy in her season 18 premiere.
“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,” she said at the time. “We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter.”
In her recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen said the issue “almost impacted the show,” adding, “It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season.”
Ellen also told the outlet that there were moments where she did not want to return to her show because of the controversy. “When it started, with that stupid ‘someone couldn’t look me in the eye’ or whatever the first thing was, it’s like a crest of a wave,” she said. “And then it just keeps getting bigger and bigger until it was out of control. And I really, honestly, felt like, ‘I don’t deserve this. I don’t need this. I know who I am. I’m a good person.'”
She also addressed cancel culture. “This culture we’re living [in is one where] no one can make mistakes,” she said. “And I don’t want to generalize because there are some bad people out there and those people shouldn’t work again but, in general, the culture today is one where you can’t learn and grow, which is, as human beings, what we’re here to do.”