‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ Airs Final Episode With Jennifer Aniston & More Guests (VIDEO)

The Ellen DeGeneres Show has officially come to an end as the final episode of the series aired Thursday, May 26.

After a 19-year run in syndication, the daytime talk show concluded with a final round of guests, discussions, and musical performances. Among the guest lineup was Jennifer Aniston who happened to be DeGeneres‘ first when the show originally debuted in 2003.

Others featured in the final episode included musical guest Pink who performed her song, “What About Us,” as well as Grammy-winner Billie Eilish. But before engaging with her celebrity pals, DeGeneres addressed her audience with an opening monologue about how different the world is for LGBTQ+ people now compared to when the show began.

(Credit: The Ellen Show/Twitter)

“Twenty years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” DeGeneres said to her viewers. “When we started this show, I couldn’t say ‘gay’ on the show. I was not allowed to say ‘gay.’ I said it at home a lot. ‘What are we having for gay breakfast?'”

“We couldn’t say ‘gay.’ I couldn’t say ‘we,’ because that implied that I was with someone,” she added. “I sure couldn’t say ‘wife,’ and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married, and now I say ‘wife’ all the time.” The remark then led the camera to cut from DeGeneres to focus on her wife Portia de Rossi who was sitting in the audience.

“Twenty-five years ago, they canceled my sitcom because they didn’t want a lesbian to be in primetime once a week. I said, ‘Okay, then I’ll be on daytime every day. How about that?'” DeGeneres remembered.

Related

Ellen DeGeneres Says She Was 'Crying Every Day' Over Talk Show Ending

Following her monologue, DeGeneres went for one last dance through the audience as DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss played The Emotions’ “Best of My Love.” Following a brief chat with tWitch, DeGeneres welcomed Aniston to her stage for the final time as the pair reminisced over their years of friendship.

The episode also included an epic montage of DeGeneres’ career highlights from the show before she sat down with her next guest Billie Eilish who made her daytime debut on the show in 2018. And Pink rounded out the day’s lineup as she chatted with DeGeneres about her previous appearances and sang.

Before signing off DeGeneres thanked her crew and producers one last time and addressed her audience for the last time. “If I’ve done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I’ve inspired you to be yourself. Your true, authentic self. And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don’t understand. They’re showing you who they are and that is the biggest gift anybody can ever give you. And by opening your heart and your mind, you’re gonna be that much more compassionate. And compassion is what makes the world a better place. Thank you so much for being on this journey with me. I feel the love and I send it back to you. Bye.”

It’s certainly the end of an era. What did you think of The Ellen DeGeneres Show‘s final episode? Let us know in the comment section, below.