The Ellen DeGeneres Show is coming to an end after the upcoming 19th season following allegations its host oversaw a toxic workplace environment.
The final season has seen the host draw on her A-list pal Jennifer Aniston to ensure it finishes with a bang, with the final show set to air next Thursday.
Before the workplace scandal, Ellen, 64, was one of the most popular personalities on US TV, known for her bubbly on-screen persona and “be kind” mantra, often taking part in lavish giveaways or acts of charity.
But in 2020, the tide began to turn as claims of a destructive work culture emerged.
Dutch YouTuber Nikkie de Jager was one of the first people to call out DeGeneres calling her "cold and distant".
In April of that year a Twitter thread asking for stories about Ellen being "one of the meanest people alive" went viral, with sources also saying crew members were unhappy with pay cuts and working hours during the pandemic.
Here we look back at how the demise of her show unravelled:
NikkiTutorials is one of the first to speak out
YouTuber NikkieTutorials was one of the first to speak out against Ellen DeGeneres.
The makeup guru said her appearance on The Ellen Show has reminded her to never meet her idols.
During an interview with Dutch magazine &C, Nikki said: "Maybe I'm being naïve, but I expected them to welcome me with confetti: 'Welcome to The Ellen DeGeneres Show!'
"But instead I got greeted by an angry intern, who was a bit overworked. I expected a Disney show, but I got a 'Teletubbies' after dark."
Nikki claimed she didn't receive the VIP perks as some of the other celebrity guests.
"Every guest at Ellen had a private toilet, but I didn't," she said. "I couldn't even use the closest toilet to me because it was reserved for the Jonas brothers."
Tweet asking for stories about DeGeneres being 'one of the meanest people alive' goes viral
A comedian called Kevin T. Porter asked for "insane stories you've head about Ellen being mean" in exchange for $2donations.
He received thousands of responses, with Porter telling it was hard to "tell which stories are real or not" and so donated $600 for 300 stories people told.
While, the accuracy of the Tweets are impossible to verify, a report from BuzzFeed included current and former employees who complained about alleged bullying behind-the-scenes, prompting an internal probe of the show by Warner Bros.
Shortly after the call out, a number of staff and TV workers took to the social media site.
Among the replies was one fan who spent hours creating a replica of DeGeneres.
She wrote, alongside photos, "When I was 15 @TheEllenShow was doing a contest of fans making a bust of her and sending it to her.
"I worked so hard on this and even wrote her a letter. Weeks later she used it as a prop in a game and gave it away to a random person with $500 attached to the bottom."
Another comedian Chris Farah Tweeted a link to her stand-up set and claimed when she was working as a waitress, Ellen DeGeneres complained about her chipped nail varnish.
"I worked @RealFoodDaily, served her & Porsha at brunch," Farah wrote. "She wrote a letter to the owner & complained about my chipped nail polish (not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand). I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morn, almost got me fired."
Meanwhile a TV writer claimed Ellen "has a sensitive nose" and made people take chewing gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her.
He also claimed Ellen is overly sensitive to jokes about animals, given her vegan diet.
Another added to the thread: "I was PAing for the Letterman special and her rider was 50 items long and one was specific vegan cauliflower puffs that are rarely sold so i had to drive to 15 different grocery stores to find it and she didn’t even touch them."
Australian radio host claims he was told not to look at Ellen
Neil Brien who worked as as executive producer on the Today show claimed he was instructed not to look at or talk to Ellen when working with her in 2013.
Recalling the whole thing as "bizarre", he alleged the Today producers received a set of specific rules for Ellen's interview with presenter Richard Wilkins.
He said: "Because it's 'The Ellen Show,' they controlled everything," "They controlled the interview seats, the lights, how it would work, everything."
Neil claimed Ellen's team told him: "Neil, no one's to talk to Ellen. You don't talk to her, you don't approach her, you don't look at her. She'll come in, she'll sit down, she'll talk to Richard, then Ellen will leave."
TV crew 'furious over reduced pay and poor communication'
In 2020 it was reported Ellen's TV crew were furious over reduced pay and poor communication.
Nearly all crew members were warned about a 60% wage reduction while the show continued to be broadcast from Ellen's home during lockdown, a source told Variety at the time.
Prior to coronavirus, the insider said a team of more than 30 people worked on Ellen to ensure the smooth production of the show.
But they said only four crew members were needed to work on the home version of the broadcast.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Television - who distribute the show - told the publication: “Our executive producers and Telepictures are committed to taking care of our staff and crew and have made decisions first and foremost with them in mind.”
Warner Bros. Television also noted the crew had been paid throughout the period but at reduced hours.
The distributor told Variety communications could have been better but blamed the chaos on the outbreak.
Dakota Johnson puts Ellen in her place in awkward interview
After it was announced the Ellen show would end, several of the cringing and awkward interviews the American presenter orchestrated to make famous faces squirm when starring on her show.
One that has made the top of the trending list was when Dakota Johnson firmly put Ellen in her place after the host claimed she was not invited to the Fifty Shades of Grey actress' 30th birthday bash.
The footage shows Ellen snidely asking how the party was, before insisting that she did not receive an invitation - which Dakota told was not true.
After Ellen insisted she was not asked to attend, Dakota fired back: "Actually, no, that’s not the truth, Ellen, you were invited.
"Last time I was on the show, last year, you gave me a bunch of s*** about not inviting you, but I didn’t even know you wanted to be invited."
Ellen would not let it go, leading the brunette star to add: "Well, I didn’t even know you liked me."
"Of course I like you. You knew I liked you," said Ellen before a very awkward silence.
Ellen then protested that she was never asked to the party, but Dakota told her to ask her producer for the truth.
After being told she was out of town, Ellen suddenly confessed she "didn’t remember that until just now" before then back peddling and thanking Dakota.
As the video - from 2019 - re-emerged online, fans joked that there should be a "Happy National Dakota Johnson Day" after it was shared that The Ellen show will wrap for good in 2022.
Ellen's apology
After an investigation, Warner Bros made staffing changes following the investigation into claims of a toxic work environment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The comedian issued an apology: "On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect.
"Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show."
DeGeneres, who boasts a string of A-list friends, said as the show had grown she had relied on others to "do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done".
"Clearly some didn’t," she said. "That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again."
Ellen announced in May last year she was stepping down after 19 series, following allegations of a toxic workplace environment.
