Ellen DeGeneres is done with The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The 64-year-old comedian and daytime TV host has officially closed the door on a major part of her career that spanned almost two decades. On Thursday (May 26), she closed out her daytime show after 19 years in syndication.
During the series finale of her show, Ellen bared her soul as she spoke about her path as an LGBTQ entertainer:
“20 years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different.
When we started this show, I couldn’t say ‘gay’ on the show. I was not allowed to say ‘gay.’ I said it at home a lot. ‘What are we having for gay breakfast?’ We couldn’t say ‘gay.’ I couldn’t say ‘we,’ because that implied that I was with someone. I sure couldn’t say ‘wife,’ and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married, and now I say ‘wife’ all the time.”
She was of course referring to her wife Portia de Rossi, who was in the audience. Ellen went on, joking:
“25 years ago, they canceled my sitcom because they didn’t want a lesbian to be in primetime once a week. I said, ‘Okay, then I’ll be on daytime every day. How about that?’”
As her monologue ended, she asked DJ Stephen Boss aka tWitch to come and dance with her one last time. They twirled around to The Emotions’ “Best Of My Love.”
At the conclusion of her episode, Ellen spoke from the heart, saying:
“I want to thank my staff and my crew once again, but most importantly, I want to thank Mary [Connelly], Andy [Lassner] and Craig [Peralta].
If I’ve done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I’ve inspired you to be yourself. Your true, authentic self. And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don’t understand. They’re showing you who they are and that is the biggest gift anybody can ever give you. And by opening your heart and your mind, you’re gonna be that much more compassionate. And compassion is what makes the world a better place.
Thank you so much for being on this journey with me. I feel the love and I send it back to you. Bye.”
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