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For more on the final episode ofThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Though the show hit a rough patch last year, facing controversy overallegations of workplace toxicity, DeGeneres said thescandal was not the reason whyseason 19 would be the show’s last. Despite its possible missteps,TheEllen DeGeneresShowbroke barriers and became a staple of daytime television.
In honor of the series finale, PEOPLE is taking a trip down memory lane to remember all of the incredible things DeGeneres accomplished and shared with the world while hosting the show.
At 18 years old,Taylor Swiftmade herEllen DeGeneres Showdebut in 2008. Later that same year, she returned to the show and DeGeneres surprised her with her childhood crushJustin Timberlake.
She went on to appear on the show 10 more times as a musical performer, including duets (notably one in 2012 with herThe LoraxcostarZac Efron) andattempted scares, which were a favorite of the show’s host.
$18.69: Price of a Pair of Ellen Underwear on eBay
One of the signature parts ofTheEllen DeGeneresShowwas the host’s gift-giving –– which was more often than not satirical, or a gift of her own show’s merchandise.
Ellen underwear became a well-known gift among her celebrity guests after they were first given to Timberlake, her second-ever guest. The Ellen-branded underwear has since been discontinued — but has sold online on eBay for more than $18.
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TheMorning Showstar not only kicked offandclosed outDeGeneres’s award-winning show, she also appeared eighteen other times in between.
She was also often the subject of DeGeneres' scares, and even helped with the host’s annual 12 Days of Giveaways, during which audience members were gifted a plethora of gifts courtesy of the hosts and partner brands.
25 Push-Ups
Former First LadyMichelle Obamawas anotherfavorite guest of the show. She and DeGeneres often went on out-of-studio adventures, including a shopping trip to CVS and an impromptu book signing event at Costco following the release of Obama’sBecoming.
Another one of DeGeneres’s favorite guests wasJustin Bieber, who first appeared on the show in 2009. Now 28, Bieber was 15 at the time and making his daytime television debut singing his first hit “One Time.” DeGeneres warned him he might be the cutest he would ever be, teasing, “I can’t imagine you getting cuter.”
Since then, he’s performed countless times, helped DeGeneres surprise viewers in need and has surprised more fans than nearly any other celebrity guest. During his last appearance, on Ellen’s birthday show in 2020, he said he “kind of grew up” on the show.
Warner Bros.
64 Daytime Emmy Awards Won
Throughout its 19-season run, the show won 64 DaytimeEmmy Awards. It nabbed titles in categories ranging from Outstanding Talk Show Host to Interactive Media – Enhancement to a Daytime Program or Series. Remarkably, 20 of those 64 awards came within the show’s first five seasons.
200 Scares
As of the show’s 3,000th episode in April 2021, DeGeneres had scared guests more than 200 times. A year later, with the airing of the show’s final episode, that total has surely grown.
One of the show’s producers, Andy Lassner, was often featured as the subject of DeGeneres’s scares and was later given his own segment where he brought celebrity guests to haunted houses. The results were guaranteed to make viewers cry from laughter.
1,600 Musical Performances
The Ellen Showlaunched countless careers, boasted the premiere television performances of pop sensations like Bieber, and even helpedCharlie Puthget signed in 2011 after his success on YouTube.
On the show’s 3,000th episode, it had aired 1,600 musical performances to date. Now, over a year later, that’s an underestimate, as about half of the final season’s episodes featured a musical performance.
3,280 Episodes
RELATED VIDEO:Ellen DeGeneresTapes Final Show, Announces Last Episode Air Date: ‘Greatest Privilege of My Life’
$500,000: Her Biggest Donation Ever
In 2016, DeGeneres surprised Spain Elementary School in Detroit with the gift of a lifetime. The performing arts school was dilapidated and low on resources, and with the help of Lowe’s, DeGeneres donated more than $500,000 worth of materials to help fix the building’s issues, technology for the students and other basic resources, including coats and cold-weather clothing.
Bieber also surprised both DeGeneres’s audience and the school, donating $1 from every ticket sold at his Detroit show toward the school.
$1 Million: Her Biggest Single Giveaway to One Family
In 2019, the show’s largest-ever single giveaway took place. DeGeneres gifted a total of $1 million to the Daniels family. Christi and Robert Daniels were avidEllenwatchers, and after DeGeneres surprised the parents and their four sons with the entirety of the 2019 12 Days of Giveaways loot, she invited the family back once again.
With the help of Cheerios, she gifted the family $500,000 for their personal use and $500,000 for them to use to give back to their community. One of the reasons they had been invited on the show was for their generosity to others despite their own financial struggles.
$500 Million: The Whopping Total
The show’s current estimate is that it has given away a total of $500 million to both viewers and people in need. One of the hallmarks of DeGeneres’s show was her generosity. She was known for closing out almost every episode with a simple slogan: “Be kind to one another.”
Throughout its nearly 20-year run,The Ellen DeGeneres Showspread kindness to viewers, charities and celebrities alike. AsOprah Winfreytold DeGeneres onher final appearance on the show, “You are going to be missed.”
source: people.com
