The Ellen DeGeneres Show will end on Thursday, after almost two decades on air.
Over the show’s 19 series, a multitude of heartfelt, comical and dramatic moments have made their way onto viewers’ screens.
Here are five of the top moments from the show over the years:
- Jennifer Aniston as the Ellen DeGeneres Show’s first guest
The Ellen DeGeneres Show launched in September 2003 and welcomed American actress Jennifer Aniston as a guest for its inaugural episode.
At the time, Aniston was at the height of her Friends fame – with the show approaching its final episode.
During the episode, Aniston presented DeGeneres with a welcome mat as a present for starting the show.
Aniston will return to the show for its final episode on May 26.
2. Sophia Grace and Rosie performing Superbass
The adorable cousins of Sophia Grace, aged eight, and five-year-old Rosie made a lasting impression when they visited the talk show in 2011.
After DeGeneres spotted a viral video made by the girls from Essex singing Nicki Minaj’s Superbass, she invited them to the show to perform a rendition.
Dressed in baby pink dresses with frilly skirts paired with tiaras, Sophia Grace rapped the hit track while Rosie supported her by dancing alongside.
The girls went on to make more than 30 appearances on the show over the years, including meeting Minaj in 2011.
They returned for one final time on May 12 to reflect on their favourite moments on the show over the last 11 years and to deliver a performance of the song that brought them fame all those years ago.
3. DeGeneres telling Barack Obama that she managed to break his retweet record with iconic Oscars selfie
Back in 2014, DeGeneres had a special video call on the show from the then US President Barack Obama to apologise for breaking his retweet record.
During the Oscar ceremony that year, the chatshow host shared a star-studded photo on Twitter which featured a host of Hollywood A-listers including Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawerence, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and DeGeneres.
DeGeneres explained to Mr Obama that she had wished to beat his retweet record set when he tweeted an image titled “Four more years” when he was re-elected in November 2012.
After confirming she had succeeded, he joked: “I heard about that. I thought it was a pretty cheap stunt myself getting a bunch of celebrities in the background.”
To date, the Oscars selfie now has 2.9 million retweets.
If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
4. DeGeneres making Adele cause havoc at a juice bar
Pop superstar Adele ended up pulling off an elaborate hidden camera prank with DeGeneres when she appeared as a guest on the show in 2019.
The talk show host set up the singer to enter a juice bar at the Warner Bros studios, where The Ellen Show is filmed, and fed ridiculous commands and bizarre phrases to her via an earpiece from the studio.
Among the hilarious requests was for Adele to spontaneously cut chunks of the juice bar’s wheatgrass and eat it while pretending to be a deer.
The singer also requested the juice bar to put a tiny bottle of amaretto in her drink and when they refused she drank it straight, as well as pouring out her entire bag onto the shop’s counter, which had been prepared by DeGeneres, to reveal it was full of knives, Twizzlers and a pair of handcuffs.
Adele finally told them that the juice bill would be covered by DeGeneres as she revealed that she had been telling her what to say and observing the chaotic scene via hidden cameras.
5. DeGeneres apologising on the show after toxic workplace allegations
In 2020, DeGeneres apologised to staff after an internal review by Warner Bros found “deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management”.
The review was launched following reports of a toxic environment on the programme, but DeGeneres has denied that is the reason she is ending the programme.
In her first monologue of season 18, she said: “I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected.
“I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realise that with that comes responsibility. I take responsibility for what happens at my show.
“We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace and what we want for the future, we have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter.”