Ellen DeGeneres Revealed She's Considering Ending Her Talk Show Soon

After 15 years, The Ellen DeGeneres Show has solidified its place as one of the most popular shows on television, and an integral part of the pop culture landscape of the new millennium. It is hard to imagine the daily talk show coming to an end, but fans might have to start preparing for that possibility. Ellen DeGeneres opened up about her thoughts on how long her talk show should continue in a new profile in the New York Times, and apparently she is not very convinced that it should last much longer. So, is Ellen DeGeneres ending her talk show, and if so, when?

Ellen DeGeneres' recent New York Times profile shows a side of the comedian that most of the public does not see. Viewers of her show may get the impression that DeGeneres is a constantly-happy, upbeat dancer who never has a bad day, but obviously that is not true of any person. DeGeneres admits that although her persona on The Ellen DeGeneres show is her own, she also has to play a bit of a character in front of the cameras: "The talk show is me, but I’m also playing a character of a talk-show host."

Breaking out of that talk-show host character is what Ellen DeGeneres' upcoming stand-up special Relatable is all about. After becoming known for clean comedy on her daytime show, DeGeneres' first stand-up special since she started The Ellen DeGeneres Show is poised to shock some viewers in that it involves the comedian cursing. The special's co-director Tig Notaro calls the moment a "decades-long payoff" after DeGeneres has become so defined by her daytime talk persona.

So, is this a sign that Ellen DeGeneres is growing tired of the daytime talk scene after all these years? Well, that's a complicated question for her. DeGeneres revealed that she constantly goes back and forth on whether or not she should leave the talk show behind and focus on other projects. On one shoulder, she has her brother, the comedian Vance DeGeneres, telling her that her show's brand of escapist positivity is what the American people really need right now, but on the other shoulder, her wife Portia de Rossi encourages her to explore more projects like this new stand-up special.

Portia de Rossi, who herself recently announced her retirement from acting, stated that she believes her wife could show even more of her creativity by breaking free from the show:

I just think she’s such a brilliant actress and stand-up that it doesn’t have to be this talk show for her creativity. There are other things she could tackle ... I don’t see the end of her show as her career ending.

While Ellen DeGeneres does admit she has been close to leaving the show recently, fans do not have to worry about The Ellen DeGeneres Show going anywhere too soon. DeGeneres recently extended her contract until the summer of 2020, but after that we might have to say goodbye to the daytime talk staple.

Ellen DeGeneres' new stand-up special Relatable will premiere on Netflix on Tuesday, Dec. 18.