Wendy Williams Shades Ellen DeGeneres After She Announces Plans to End Her Talk Show

Ellen DeGeneres' decision to end her namesake talk show is earning her some shade from another talk show host. The comedian announced Wednesday that The Ellen DeGeneres Show will be ending after Season 19, and it only took one day for fellow talker Wendy Williams to weigh in with a "Hot Topic" opinion.

Williams, who herself has been on the air for several years, addressed the end of the long-running series during the Thursday "Hot Topics" segment of The Wendy Williams Show, and while she began by congratulating DeGeneres for nearly two decades of her show, which she called "a very good run," it didn't take long for her to start throwing shade. Speaking to her audience members, Williams took a jab at the headline-making Ellen scandal that broke over the summer, stating, "all you've been through all those 19 years, including the workplace conditions."

That scandal, which broke by way of a BuzzFeed News story, led to an internal investigation and the firing of three producers. Although DeGeneres has denied that the scandal led to the end of the talk show, Williams cast some doubt on that, candidly stating, "I believe she's leaving because of the workplace conditions…. we all know people who've worked there… and people who've worked here themselves."

"Here's the thing, I'm glad that you thanked your Ellen fans, or whatever you call your nation. But 19 years on TV doesn't… change your life. It exposes you for the person you really are," Williams continued. "I'm not sure all the guests are happy. I was a guest. I wasn't happy… people called me out on it before I was able to say anything about it."

Williams went on to theorize how news of Ellen's upcoming end was broken to the staff, with the host saying that she doesn't "know whether she told her current staff." Williams said DeGeneres "seems like the type of person who could come out on stage and announce it to everybody," though DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter she informed staff on May 11. She concluded the segment by sharing that Ellen ends next year, telling her audience, "So, you know… you'll have to continue watching. And good luck, I know you like to buy houses and do projects, you've got pet food whatever you want to do." In a message directly to DeGeneres, Williams added, "You've been on for 19 years, we should be so lucky."

According to DeGeneres, the decision to end Ellen was made several years ago when she signed a three-year contract renewal after Season 16. Announcing the end of the show, DeGeneres said, "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."