'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' Proves All Good Things Must Come to an End

To some, Ellen DeGeneres was a household name long before her daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, premiered in 2003. She had, after all, spent the better part of the '80s and '90s as a comedian and actress. So when she announced that Season 19 of her talk show would be the last, it left many fans wondering when the final episode will air and how to get those coveted tickets for the monumental taping.

In recent years, Ellen has been in the news for not only her hundreds of celebrity interviews and upbeat personality but also because of allegations regarding her show's toxic environment.

Those rumors apparently didn't contribute to her decision to end the show, and her most loyal fans are ready to ride out the final season with her.

Season 19 of The Ellen DeGeneres Show premieres in September 2021, which means the final episode will likely air in the summer of 2022. Ellen told The Hollywood Reporter that she plans to make her final season one for fans to remember.

She shared that she plans to make "every day a celebration" with her fans and take tons of trips down memory lane. She'll look at the best and most cringe-worthy parts of the show from over the years. In short, she's planned to make the final season of her show a celebration of its time on the air.

Season 18 of The Ellen DeGeneres Show averaged 1.4 million viewers, which was almost half of what it garnered the previous season. But, Ellen said her decision to end the series came after lots of reflection and the desire to be challenged again. She claims the ratings drop was not the reason she chose to end the show.

"I'm a creative person, and when you're a creative person you constantly need to be challenged, which is why I decided to host the Oscars or why I decided to go back to stand-up when I didn't think I would," she said. "I just needed something to challenge me. And as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore. I need something new to challenge me."

Like most daytime talk shows, you can request free tickets for The Ellen DeGeneres Show. You just have to hope that — by the grace of the TV gods — you are chosen to attend a taping. In order to get tickets for Ellen's last season, you can select a show from a list of open dates on the casting website and fill out a form that confirms you're at least 18 years old.

Filling out the form doesn't guarantee that you'll get tickets, but if you get a call from the show's audience representative after submitting it, you're good.

Unfortunately, in this case, all of the audience tickets for any upcoming tapings for Ellen's show do appear to still be virtual. But, in the grand scheme of things, it's better than nothing, right?

Watch The Ellen DeGeneres Show on weekdays at 4 p.m. EST on NBC.