Ellen DeGeneres announces the finale date for her talk show

As the “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” airs its farewell season, the multi-Emmy-winning host has announced the finale date for her eponymous daytime talk show.

DeGeneres will take her final bow on Thursday, May 26. The 64-year-old TV icon shared the news on her social media, writing in the caption, “I’m going to miss this," alongside a new promo.

Before she wraps her 19th and final season, she has a star-studded list of special guests appearing on the show. Fans of the celebrated host are in for a treat as former first lady Michelle Obama, Jennifer Garner, Channing Tatum, Serena Williams, Zac Efron, Adam Levine, Behati Prinsloo, Gwen Stefani, David Letterman, Diane Keaton and Portia de Rossi are all set to sit down with DeGeneres before the finale, per a press release.

After the final episode, guest host shows, compilation shows and repeats will air during the summer months on affiliate stations.

In the meantime, DeGeneres continues to give viewers exclusive interviews with the biggest names in entertainment. A sneak peek of her April 13 conversation with Kim Kardashian was released on Wednesday. In the snippet, the reality star and entrepreneur revealed why she decided to go Instagram official with Pete Davidson, that he has a few tattoos dedicated to her and that he branded her name on his chest.

DeGeneres announced in May 2021 that she would be ending her long-running talk show. It first premiered in 2003 and has aired more than 3,000 episodes. The news came 10 months after the show faced accusations of a toxic workplace and the departures of three executive producers. Following an explosive Buzzfeed report, an internal investigation into the workplace culture took place.

In an exclusive interview with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie following DeGeneres’ announcement, the host said the controversy was not the reason she decided to end the show.

“If it was why I was quitting, I would have not come back this year,” she said in May 2021. “I really did think about not coming back, because it was devastating. It started with attacks on me and attacking everything that I stand for and believe in and built my career around ... I am a kind person. I am a person who likes to make people happy.”

She also said that she was unaware of the behind-the-scenes complaints until she read about it in the media. However, she noted, “It’s my name on the show, so clearly it affects me, and I have to be the one to stand up and say this can’t be tolerated.”

DeGeneres also expressed that she was “glad” she was able to tell her staff and crew about her departure before it was “leaked.”

The final season of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” kicked off in September 2021 and has already included guests like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Steve Harvey, Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry and more.