Dakota Johnson Didn’t Kill Ellen DeGeneres’ Brand. Ellen Did That Herself. Laura Bradley
The news snowballed quickly on Wednesday morning: First came the
Daily Mail report that Ellen DeGeneres has decided to end her talk show after 19 seasons, thanks at least in part to her ratings downfall (DeGeneres’ rep vehemently denied the report). Less than an hour later,
The Hollywood Reporterpublished an interview with the comedian, who claimed she was leaving the show because it isn’t “a challenge anymore.” In the hours that followed, the interview shot across Twitter, often accompanied by stills of Dakota Johnson moments before she famously gutted the comedian on air with five little words:
Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, 49, taped the first TV interview with Ellen DeGeneres, 63, after she announced Wednesday that she ll step down from her talk show in 2022.
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He recalled that DeGeneres preferred to ask questions rather than answer them, even though he was the interviewer on this occasion.
Summing up the experience, Wilkins wrote: All very professional but definitely not a warm and fuzzy experience.
Uncomfortable: In an article for Nine.com.au on Thursday, Wilkins recalled feeling awkward and cold while meeting the 63-year-old comedian in California more than a decade ago
Elsewhere in the article, Wilkins spoke of his subsequent interview with DeGeneres in 2013 on Australia s Today show.
He described this experience as professional and uncontroversial.
However, he did note that Today s then-executive producer Neil Breen was unimpressed with DeGeneres staffers, who allegedly banned everyone but Wilkins from talking to her on set - a claim previously made by Breen himself.
What Ellen DeGeneres Has Said About Her Talk Show Ending
On 5/13/21 at 5:43 AM EDT
Produced by Warner Brothers,
T
he Ellen DeGeneres Show has run for 18 seasons and it reached its 3,000th episode on April 29 this year.
All the episodes were hosted by the 63-year-old, one of the icons of American TV and one of its highest-paid stars, with a salary reported to be in the region of $75 million.
DeGeneres signed a three-year deal extension to her contract in 2019, which means her decision to step away from the show will coincide with the end of her deal.
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According to the
In August 2020, the “Ellen” show went through an internal investigation by Warner Bros. after staffers made toxic workplace environment and misconduct accusations.