The Real Reason Ellen DeGeneres Was Often Absent From Her Talk Show In Its Later Seasons
Ellen DeGeneres were given her start in stand-up comedy and ultimately landed her personal sitcom. She even started to appear in movies like Mr. Wrong and Finding Nemo. The comic would come out as gay on her sitcom and watched it get canceled shortly afterward.
DeGeneres returned to stand-up and performed two well-received HBO specials. She then landed her own talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in 2003. It would run for 19 seasons, bringing DeGeneres' occupation to new heights.
However, as the show neared its end, DeGeneres was often absent from the show, with several guest hosts filling in her position. There was a lot speculation about this, which DeGeneres herself cleared up in her monologue.
Ellen Revealed The Reason She Ended Her Talk Show After 19 Seasons
DeGeneres spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 about her decision to finish her talk show. She started through explaining that she to begin with wanted to end her show 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," DeGeneres stated. "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.'"
"So, we [settled] on three more years, and I knew that would be my last," she endured. "That’s been the plan all along. And everybody kept saying, even when I signed, 'You know, that’s going to be 19, don’t you want to just go to 20? It’s a good number.' So is 19."
DeGeneres went on to say that she craved a new challenge.
"I’m a creative person, and when you’re a creative person you constantly need to be challenged, which is why I decided to host the Oscars or why I decided to go back to stand-up when I didn’t think I would," she explained. "I just needed something to challenge me. And as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore. I need something new to challenge me."
Still, she stated that finishing the show was going to be tricky.
"When we did our 3,000th show, they showed that highlights montage and everybody was emotional. We all hugged and everyone had tears in their eyes, and Mike Darnell was here going, 'You really want to [end this]?' Look, it’s going to be really hard on the last day, but I also know it’s time."
Ellen Explained Why She Was Absent From So Many Shows In The Later Seasons
In 2019, enthusiasts started noticing that DeGeneres was absent from her show extra often. There have been one uncommon occasion when DeGeneres was unwell and had to find a visitor host at the closing minute. However, it was now becoming a typical incidence.
DeGeneres had Howie Mandel, Justin Hartley, tWitch, and extra fill in for her that season. During an opening monologue that September, the comic addressed the controversy over her widespread absences.
"Throughout the season, I’ve had wonderful people filling in for me as guest hosts. It’s a tradition that dates back to Johnny Carson, he would have guest hosts all the time. And I like to follow tradition, especially if it involves me missing work," DeGeneres joked.
"You know how you can call in sick to work if you don’t feel well? I can’t do that," she endured. "So for 15 seasons, I have been here every day, even when I’m sick or have a bad back or get a paper cut. I mean, I’m a hero. I work in day in and day out to bring you some of the best entertainment a show can ever offer, so I decided that once in a while I need to take a day off… to run errands or buy a house."
As with any controversy, there are always speculation on the part of the public. Some of those theories had been lovely funny, as DeGeneres read one tweet.
"Ellen keeps having guest hosts. Anyone else think she’s pregnant?" the tweet read.
DeGeneres answered, "What?! No! No one else thinks that. Why are you jumping to that conclusion?"
Ellen Weighs Her Options And Ponders What She Might Do Next
In 2018, DeGeneres made her long-awaited go back to stand-up in a Netflix particular titled Relatable. The special was an indicator of DeGeneres short of to step out of doors the daylight talk show host box.
However, when chatting with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, she wasn't positive what would apply her talk show.
"I’ve been trying to think about that. I have some ideas, but my agent is just like, 'Why don’t you just sit still for a minute. You probably don’t even know how exhausted you are and what it’s going to be like to sit still.' And I don’t know how long I’ll be able to do that because I’m like a Ferrari in neutral. I’m constantly needing to go."
DeGeneres was then asked if she would believe returning to motion pictures or even a sitcom.
"A sitcom seems like a walk in the park compared to this, 180 shows a year," she mentioned. "I don’t know if that’s really what I want to do next, but movies for sure. If there were a great role, I’d be able to do that, which I’m not able to do now."
DeGeneres also made it clear that she has a lot of hobby projects she needs to commit her time and effort to.
"I’m opening up my campus in Rwanda next year, and I want to be more involved with conservation and everything that matters to me as far as the environment and animals."
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