The Ellen DeGeneres Show aired its final show on Thursday after a 19-year run.
Jennifer Aniston, who was Ellen’s very first guest in 2003, joined the show to say goodbye as well as Pink, who performed “What About Us,” one of DeGeneres’ favorite songs.
Ellen ended the broadcast with an emotional monologue saying, “Thank you so much for this platform. I hope that what I’ve been able to do in the last 19 years has made you happy. … And I hope I’ve been able to inspire you to make other people happy and do good in the world. To feel like you’ve had a purpose.”
“If I’ve done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I’ve inspired you to be yourself, your true authentic self,” she continued. “And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don’t understand.”
“By opening your heart and your mind you’re going to be that much more compassionate, and compassion is what makes the world a better place,” she concluded.
My final monologue.❤️ #EllensFinalSeason pic.twitter.com/CrnW72klYV
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) May 26, 2022
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen said that she got “really emotional” when she was planning her final shows. “There was a time a couple of months out where I was crying every day. … I knew it was time to end this chapter and to do something different, but still it was really emotional. But I did not want the last two weeks to be about that.”
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