Ellen DeGeneres Dropped by Major Network Before Final Season Premieres

Ellen DeGeneres' fans in Australia will have to find a new way to watch the final season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The Nine Network, one of the major commercial free-to-air networks in Australia, announced it will not carry the show. The network, also known as Channel 9, did not give a specific reason for dropping the show, but Ellen is ending amid the workplace misconduct scandal that engulfed the show in summer 2020.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show won't be returning to Channel 9 for its 19th and final season," a Channel 9 spokesperson told TV Blackbox late last week. "It's been a tremendous run and we wish Ellen all the best for her last season." Entertainment reporter Jayden Forster first reported the news on the Melbourne radio station 3AW, which is owned by Channel 9's parent company, Nine Entertainment.

In July 2020, BuzzFeed News published allegations from former employees who accused Ellen's executive producers of harassment and making racist comments, following years of speculation in tabloids that DeGeneres' "be kind" mantra did not extend behind the scenes. WarnerMedia launched an investigation, which ended with executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman being fired. DeGeneres apologized to her staff, then opened Season 18 with an apology to her audience. DJ Stephen "tWitch" Boss was promoted to co-executive producer for Season 18.

In May, DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter that Season 19 will be the last for her 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 told THR. Warner Bros. also confirmed the show would end. "Ellen was and is an indelible piece of the television landscape, and it will be sorely missed," Mike Darnell, Warner Bros.' Unscripted TV President, said.

DeGeneres denied the workplace misconduct scandal was the main reason she was ending the show. "If I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn't have come back this season. So, it's not why I'm stopping," she told THR. She claimed her decision to end the show in 2022 dates back to Season 16, which was when she really wanted to end the show. At that time, she only wanted to sign for one more season, but producers pushed her to sign for four more years because stations and affiliates needed a longer commitment. They came to a compromise, with DeGeneres signing on for three more seasons, with Season 19 being the last.

The first promo for the final season was released last week. The season premiere will air on Monday, Sept. 13. "I promise you that we're going to have a fantastic final season. It will be a season where I truly get to say, Thank You. Thank you all. Every day will be a celebration," DeGeneres said in a previous statement. "There will be a lot of surprises, there will be trips down memory lane, and a few detours through Why Did I Wear That Alley."