Ellen DeGeneres’ Last Talk Show Guest Is an A-Lister

As Ellen DeGeneres prepares to close the chapter on her long-running talk show, she is throwing it back to the past. The comedian famously kicked off The Ellen DeGeneres Show back in 2003 by interviewing Friends star Jennifer Aniston, and on Tuesday, it was confirmed that things are coming full-circle, with Anniston set to become the final guest on Ellen when it airs its series finale on Thursday, May 26. The appearance will mark Anniston’s 20th time on the show.

Anniston, who also appeared on the final season premiere back in September, will not be the only Hollywood A-lister tapped for the send-off episode. According to the Daily Mail, singers Billie Eilish and Pink, who wrote the show’s Emmy Award-winning theme song, will also appear. They will mark the latest in a string of celebrity guests to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show throughout its final season run. Other guests set to appear before the finale include Oprah Winfrey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Timberlake, Keith Urban, Zac Efron, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Luke Bryan, Kerry Washington, Brad Paisley, and Bruno Mars. 

DeGeneres’ namesake talk show now only has a handful of episodes left before the curtains close for good on the beloved series. DeGeneres announced plans to end Ellen in May 2021 at Season 19. The announcement came amid concerning misconduct allegations made against the show, which led to an investigation by WarnerMedia. DeGeneres, however, denied that being a reason for her talk show ending. Instead, she explained that the decision to end Ellen was made several years ago when she signed a three-year contract renewal after Season 16.

“When we started this show in 2003, the iPhone didn’t exist. Social Media didn’t exist. Gay marriage wasn’t legal. We watched the world change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not,” DeGeneres tweeted after filming the final episode on April 28. “But whatever was happening, my goal was always for the show to be a place where we could all come together and laugh for an hour. Being invited into your lives has been the greatest privilege of my life and has brought me incredible joy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

The Ellen DeGeneres Show concludes its 19-season award-winning run on Thursday, May 26. After the finale, affiliate stations will continue running the show with guest hosts, repeats, and compilation episodes. The massive library of viral clips will also continue to be overseen by Ellen Digital Ventures.