Ellen DeGeneres Reports Giving Away a Half-Billion Dollars Over Show History
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The end of an era soon approaches. Seasoned comedian Ellen Degeneres has announced that season 19 would be her last run on the series. The trailer for the show’s farewell season highlights the special moments of the near two-decade long series. Here, the show proclaims that it has amassed a staggering amount in its famous charitable giveaways. Nearly a half-billion in total to be exact. The Ellen Degeneres Show premieres its final season on September 13, with Kelly Clarkson scheduled to fill the time slot going forward.
Ellen DeGeneres’ Generous Talk Show Journey
Degeneres had quite the generous talk show journey. In the promo for its final season, the show’s on air accomplishments are highlighted. Since the series premiere in 2003, Degeneres has hosted 4,000 celebrity guests. Many of which include A-listers like Michelle Obama, George Clooney, and Sandra Bullock. It was also stated that the show is responsible for giving away nearly a half-billion dollars in charitable donations.
In 2019, the talk show host gave away one million dollars to her audience. In a special episode of the show, the TV personality gave back to do-gooders who have all performed selfless acts of charity. DeGeneres fooled the crowd as she opened the segment with a plug for her partner Cheerios, which helped fund the giveaway. The host then singled out a handful of audience members who had done honorable deeds to help others. Each person soon discovered a box of Cheerios with DeGeneres’ face beneath their seats. This special surprise signaled the million dollar prize to be shared among the crowd.
Over the years the talk show legend has had her hand in a number of generous donations. In 2018, she donated more than $14,500 in gift cards to Redlands Fire, one of the many squads deployed to the devastating Southern California wildfires that year. Degeneres has also given away full-ride scholarships, millions of dollars to hurricane relief, and has supported many military families.
Is the Show’s Scandal Responsible for It’s Farewell?
At this point, you may be wondering how a show that has benefitted the lives of so many is ending. In the lead up to the talk show’s end, Ellen DeGeneres has come face to face with several scandals. A prominent one includes allegations that the 63-year-old has a toxic workplace environment behind the scenes. This statement put the comedienne under a microscope, making her appear like a hypocrite for her generous actions on the show.
An intense report from Buzzfeed in 2020 reported that the host’s “be kind” motto was all for show. DeGeneres has built her worldwide, multimillion-dollar brand on the motto with lavish giveaways and acts of charity. However the article states that behind the scenes, current and former employees on her leading daytime show say they faced “racism, fear, and intimidation.”
The host took a moment to acknowledge the accusation during a season 18 monologue:
“As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation,” DeGeneres said on the show. “I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected. I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”
Going forward, it is confirmed that Kelly Clarkson will fill the show’s time slot after season 19. The American Idol’s current talk show has been nominated for six Daytime Emmys, including Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show. Clarkson herself was also nominated for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.
