Ellen DeGeneres bids farewell to fans as she tapes her final show, 'we watched the world change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not'

It’s truly the end of an era as Ellen DeGeneres tapes her final ever show.

After 19 seasons, the reigning queen of daytime TV has taken her final bow. Ellen confirmed that she had taped the last ever episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 28.

Ellen took a moment to reflect on the magnitude of the moment with a sentimental post on social media, acknowledging how the landscape has changed since the show first started nearly two decades ago.

"When we started this show in 2003, the iPhone didn't exist," Ellen wrote in her caption on Instagram. "Social Media didn't exist. Gay marriage wasn't legal. We watched the world change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But whatever was happening, my goal was always for the show to be a place where we could all come together and laugh for an hour."

The comedian ended her message with gratitude for her fans.

"Being invited into your lives has been the greatest privilege of my life and has brought me incredible joy," she wrote. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Why did Ellen end her show?

Ellen told viewers she was ending her talk show back in 2021, saying she "truly have felt like next season was the right time" to end it.

"The truth is, I always trust my instincts. My instinct told me it's time," she said on an episode of her show. 

The announcement followed highly publicized accusations of a toxic work environment that engulfed the popular comic in scandal. 

Ellen didn't directly mention the accusations as a reason for ending the show, and claimed to have decided to wrap things up with season 19 before the scandal broke. 

She explained, "Two years ago, I signed a deal for three more years and I always knew in my heart that season 19 would be my last."

When is Ellen’s last show?

The show's final episode will air on May 26.

The final season has included special guest stars including former First Lady Michelle Obama, Jennifer Garner, Channing Tatum, Serena Williams, Zac Efron, Adam Levine, Diane Keaton, Kim Kardashian, and Ellen's wife, Portia de Rossi.