Why is Ellen DeGeneres ending her talk show?

On Wednesday (May 12), The Ellen Show host announced that she will conclude her show in 2022. The comedian revealed to The Hollywood Reporter why she has decided to exit the longstanding show.

"When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged — and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore," DeGeneres said.

The Ellen Show has been on the air since 2003. With over 3,000 aired episodes, DeGeneres was taping 180 shows a year. She said that to do something for a total of 19 years is a long time and can feel quite repetitive after a while.

The news may come as a shock to many longtime viewers, but for DeGeneres, winding down was the plan all along. She was originally going to pull the plug after Season 16 but producers needed her to sign on for three more years due to affiliate agreements and station commitments.

Although the talk show host recently received controversy after toxic workplace allegations surfaced, DeGeneres claimed that the scandal had nothing to do with her decision.

"It almost impacted the show," she admitted. "It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season."

DeGeneres also shared that she will not miss hair, makeup and daily wardrobe fittings. She will, however, miss the creative aspects and her colleagues.

"This all became bigger than I ever could have dreamed of," DeGeneres said. "I’m not the pretty girl who made it in Hollywood because of the way I looked. I worked from nothing to doing standup to to having this career and I’m so proud of this show. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. And so I’ll miss everything but, in my gut, I know it’s time to do something different."

DeGeneres wants to take some time off after completing her intense filming schedule, but she's also considering her future career path, which includes getting back into film and focusing on charitable efforts.

"If there were a great role, I’d be able to do that, which I’m not able to do now," she explained. "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."

See reactions to the news from social media, below.

Stars You Didn't Realize Are Retired

More From WKFR