The Ellen Show officially ends with a digital whimper

The Ellen Show, a cultural daytime television phenomenon that aired 19 seasons, more than 3,000 episodes, and led to countless viral moments before that was even a known phrase, came to an end on May 26. The last episode wasn't a teary, nostalgic celebration, unlike what you would expect from an arbiter of early 2000's television culture.

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The internet's response to the departure of Ellen was more like the end of a slow, laborious bleed than anything. The final two years of the show were soured by accusations of workplace abuse and racism. As she returned to screens around the country for her eighteenth season in 2020, she apologized, but some saw it as a half-hearted apology.

The news and response spawned an internet-wide uproar against the host, including a deep dive into the strangest, sometimes problematic, moments from the show. While her friendship with George W. Bush made her a target of jokes and ire, her passive aggressive party-invite debacle with actor Dakota Johnson still made her a target of jokes and ire. The host said the next season would be her last.

The new, more negative legacy is counter to that of her creation. The Ellen Show made history as one of the first and longest running television shows hosted by an out lesbian woman. Gay guests and artists who danced their way into the living rooms of middle and southern American homes were frequent visitors to the television and comedy show of Ellen Degeneres. The allegations made by women and people of color who worked for the show, criticism of the show's ability to evolve with the times, and the host's lack of modern social awareness have damaged that memory.

The lackluster response was the same as it has been: jokes, and a lot of Dakota Johnson, as viewers watched Ellen take to her show stage and hop into her armchair for the last time.

Some historical context

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Deep breaths

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Literally what year is it

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One step closer to utopia?

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Remember when...

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Complicated emotions

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Dakota Johnson we know what you did

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From stage to screen

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