Ellen DeGeneres has been a staple of talk show entertainment for almost 20 years. From creating various games and activities to interviewing every celebrity out there, DeGeneres has built herself a show that attracted hundreds of thousands to millions of viewers every episode.

However, DeGeneres recently announced that after almost 19 seasons, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will be concluding in 2022. Her time slot will be filled by Kelly Clarkson. DeGeneres’ departure has caused a variety of different reactions and confusion on why this talk show is coming to an end after so long.

“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged,” DeGeneres explained, “and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore.”

When the students at Pascack Hills were asked about their thoughts on DeGeneres’s show ending, there were an abundance of mixed opinions and reactions. On one hand, many students were disappointed upon hearing the news.

“I am very upset that Ellen’s show is ending,” Hills junior Katy Zeidwig said. “Every day after school since probably second grade, the first thing I would do when I got home was sit down and watch Ellen with my grandma at 3 p.m. I’ll miss that routine. Her contagious smile is something I’ll miss.”

DeGeneres has been known for many acts of philanthropy during her career, as well as being in charge of a show that incorporated comedy and positive ideas into its episodes.

“Ellen was always so positive,” Hills sophomore Ryan Sosnowski expressed. “She gave people a lot of joy. She used her humor to make people feel good. My favorite thing about the show was that she would scare people.”

On the other hand, there have been many students who rejoiced in DeGeneres’s show ending, talking about what she has done behind the scenes.

“I am honestly not surprised her show is ending,” Hills junior Daniel Song explained. “From the many allegations about the toxic environment of her show, it was clear that Ellen DeGeneres had a lot to deal with and it won’t be stopping soon. I watched her show several times and everything seemed so orchestrated. In general, I hope the best of luck she will learn from this ending and start something brand new.”

There have been various accusations of actions of toxicity in the works of DeGeneres’s show, many of them coming from the host herself, as well as celebrities complaining about how she treated them on and off-camera.

“The show has been going on for far too long, lacks no redeeming qualities, and to top it all Ellen’s toxic workplace culture finally came to light,” Hills senior Raymond Rosales stated. “For the good of us all, this show should be lost to the sands of time.”

DeGeneres’s show has been infamous for many years for both good and bad reasons. The only thing viewers can do now is watch her series conclude and see what she creates in the future.