Farewell to a talk show legend: Ellen DeGeneres had illustrious guests on the couch in her last show.
After 19 years with more than 3200 episodes, Ellen DeGeneres (64) moderated the last edition of her “Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Thursday.
The comedian had invited US actress Jennifer Aniston (53) and the singers Pink (42) and Billie Eilish (20) as guests. Aniston also guest-starred in the very first episode in 2003. “Where have the 19 years gone,” said the actress, who appeared on the show a total of 20 times.
Pink paid tribute to the presenter
Eilish made her TV debut at DeGeneres when she was 16. She was so scared at the time, the Oscar-winning singer said. Visibly touched, Pink acknowledged the long-standing achievements of the presenter. “You have meant so much to me personally in my life, but also in everyone’s life,” said the rock singer. DeGeneres brought joy to people and made the world a better place.
The openly lesbian comedian and talk show queen recalled the initial hurdles. “In the beginning, I wasn’t allowed to say the word ‘gay’ on the show,” DeGeneres said. Of course, she couldn’t speak of a “wife” at the time either, because same-sex marriages didn’t exist yet. During her speech, the camera panned to “Ally McBeal” actress Portia de Rossi (49) in the auditorium, to whom DeGeneres has been married since 2008. For the past 19 years, she has tried to inspire people to find their true selves and show compassion, the presenter said.
DeGeneres announced back in 2021 that her talk show would end this May. After reports of a hostile working atmosphere, the presenter had previously come under criticism and publicly apologized. The talk show has been broadcast by the US broadcaster NBC since 2003. She came up with more than 3200 episodes with over 4000 guests.
