Ellen DeGeneres battled her emotions as she said goodbye to her talk show after 19 years on Thursday.
The final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which was recorded in late April and broadcast on Thursday, began with Ellen reflecting on how much the world has changed for LGBTQ+ people in the past 19 years. She revealed she couldn't say the words "gay", "we" or "wife" when the show first started in 2003 but she can now openly refer to her wife Portia de Rossi, who sat in the audience.
Jennifer Aniston, who was Ellen's very first guest in 2003, appeared as her first interviewee. During the interview, Ellen asked Jennifer how she coped with the end of Friends, and she joked, "Well, I got a divorce and went into therapy. And then I did a movie called The Break-Up. I just kind of leaned into the end."
The actress gifted Ellen a welcome mat that read "thanks for the memories" and presented a montage of the talk show's highlights.
She was followed by Billie Eilish, who made her daytime debut on the show in 2018, and then Pink, who served as the final guest and musical performer.
After thanking her staff and crew, Ellen grew emotional as she addressed the television audience in her closing speech.
"If I've done anything in the past 19 years, I hope I've inspired you to be yourself. Your true, authentic self," she said. "And if someone is brave enough to tell you who they are, be brave enough to support them, even if you don't understand. They're showing you who they are and that is the biggest gift anybody can ever give you. And by opening your heart and your mind, you're gonna be that much more compassionate. And compassion is what makes the world a better place.
"Thank you so much for being on this journey with me. I feel the love and I send it back to you. Bye."
The 64-year-old ended her show the way it began in 2003, with her sitting on a couch facing away from the audience, watching herself on TV.
