New York- When Ellen DeGeneres returned from a summer hiatus to open season 18 of her talk show in September, she arrived armed with an apology. “I’ve learned that things happen here that should never have happened,” he said. “I take it very seriously. And I want to say that I am very sorry for the people who have been affected.” Those comments came in response to reports of workplace misconduct on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
Viewers agreed to the apology: This year’s season premiere received the highest ratings for an ‘Ellen’ premiere in four years. And then they turned off the TV. “Ellen” has lost more than a million viewers since September, according to research firm Nielsen, with an average of 1.5 million viewers in the past six months, up from 2.6 million in the same period last year.
The decline has come at a time when behavior in the workplace, in Hollywood and elsewhere has been intensively scrutinized in a context of protest and social change. It’s a surprising setback for one of the most successful daytime television franchises and for DeGeneres, who was at the forefront of an earlier cultural shift when, as the star of a primetime sitcom in the 1990s, he announced that he was gay. .
DeGeneres, 63, has publicly pondered the possibility of leaving the program in recent years, and the focus on his problems in the workplace has raised questions about his future. His talk show contract expires next year. Warner Bros., who produce “Ellen,” confirmed that the show would return for a 19th season in September, after the usual summer break. A DeGeneres spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the 2021-22 television season would be her last.