What Is Ellen DeGeneres Doing Now That Her Show Is Over?
Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been in the spotlight for decades. A trailblazer for LGBTQ activism and awareness, DeGeneres received early acclaim for her skills as a standup comedian and actor before landing the job that would change her life forever. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is one of TV’s most high-profile talk shows, running for nearly two decades and winning numerous awards. The show aired its final episode this past May amid a whirlwind of controversy, including allegations that DeGeneres encouraged a toxic work environment. These days, fans are still curious about the popular TV personality, and many wonder what is Ellen DeGeneres doing now that her show has ended?
Her talk show created many memorable moments
By the time The Ellen DeGeneres Show debuted in 2003, DeGeneres was already a pop-culture hot topic. She burst onto the scene in the ’80s with various standup specials and gigs before landing roles in movies such as Mr. Wrong and The Love Letter. But DeGeneres was best known as a sitcom actor. Her groundbreaking role in the TV series Ellen made waves, with DeGeneres coming out as a lesbian in the fourth season, IMDb reports.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show quickly became a critical and audience favorite, with viewers loving DeGeneres’ buoyant personality and “be kind” messaging. At the opening of every episode, DeGeneres danced through the rows, interacting with the studio audience and joking around. Though the show was formatted like a standard talk show, with celebrity guests and interview segments, it also included audience participation games and recurring bits.
Two the more popular recurring segments were “Starbucks Prank!” where DeGeneres sent celebrity guests to Starbucks coffeehouses to prank the baristas, and “Burning Questions,” a bit where the host asked celebrity guests a series of personal questions.
What is Ellen DeGeneres doing now?
After winning dozens of Daytime Emmy Awards and running for just under two decades, The Ellen DeGeneres Show aired its final episode on May 26, 2022. For DeGeneres, who has lived much of her life in the spotlight, this new chapter is anything but boring.
A recent report from CinemaBlend highlights DeGeneres’ post-show plans. They include devoting more time to her favorite charities, such as the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, to raise awareness about the plight of endangered gorillas.
Recently, DeGeneres, alongside her wife, Portia de Rossi, opened the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda, a passion project DeGeneres has been developing for years.
In addition to her conservation work, she might eventually return to standup comedy, as she hinted to The Hollywood Reporter in 2021.
‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ was plagued with controversy in its final years
In 2020, Ellen DeGeneres was thrust into the spotlight for a whole new reason when a BuzzFeed News report alleged toxic working conditions behind the scenes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In the wake of the article’s publication, celebrities and TV insiders took to social media to slam DeGeneres, claiming she knew about the negative energy on the set and didn’t address it.
DeGeneres made a public apology on her show at the beginning of season 18 in September 2020. “I learned that things happen 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 (per Newsweek).
However, when news broke that her show was ending, DeGeneres quickly clarified the allegations had nothing to do with the show going off the air. Instead, DeGeneres said she was ready to move on to other ventures, claiming, “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.”
For Ellen DeGeneres, a whole new chapter is unfolding — and no doubt fans will be watching.
