After nearly 20 years, The Ellen DeGeneres Show is coming to an end. The host recently announced that season 19 would be her last, and the series will wrap up in 2022 after beginning in 2003. In those 19 years, Ellen talked to countless celebrities and convinced them to do all kinds of silly things, to get emotional and real, and to spill the deets all fans want to know.
It's hard to narrow down her expansive show — with more than 150 episodes a year — to just the 20 best and most memorable moments, but we tried. Ellen may have been on daytime TV instead of late night, but her celebrity interactions were every bit as entertaining as anything Jimmy Fallon or James Corden does with their guests these days.
Ellen told The Hollywood Reporter that she won't miss getting her hair and makeup done for the show every day, but she will miss everything else. She said: "Listen, this is my family. They've become my best friends. I come to work and I laugh every single day."
And so did we — especially at some of these interviews with the stars.
Jennifer Aniston
For her series premiere in 2003, Ellen brought on her good friend Jennifer Aniston to be the first celebrity guest. And it really demonstrated how much the show stayed consistent over the years. Back then, Ellen still played silly games with celebs (she thumb-wrestled Jen) and handed out quirky gifts. The production value increased over time, but the heart was always the same. Also: Note the Brad Pitt mention because he and Jen were married at this time.
Steve Carell
Ellen prided herself on scaring a ton of celebs in her time on the show, but one star who managed to scare Ellen herself was Office star Steve Carrell. He snuck up on the comedian during a 2008 appearance — which she of course got him back for two years later by hiding in his dressing room. Classic Ellen DeGeneres Show shenanigans.
Nicki Minaj
Ellen propelled young singers Sophia Grace Brownlee and Rosie McClelland to new heights when they were asked to come perform "Superbass" with Nicki Minaj herself. This is one of the most-watched Ellen videos on YouTube, with more than 144 million views. It's hard to believe this was a decade ago already. Sophia Grace is 18 now, and Rosie is 14.
Kristen Bell
Does anyone love anything as much as Kristen Bell loves sloths? This iconic interview from 2012 revealed that the actress is so obsessed with the animal that she broke down into full on body-wracking sobs when she found out her husband, Dax Shepard, had arranged for her to meet one. The video is absolutely hilarious and iconic.
Mario Lopez
Mario went on Ellen to plug his new underwear line in 2012, and what better way to promote it than to wear the item himself? He stripped down to show off the, um, product and then Ellen helped him unbutton his shirt as well. Give the people what they want, right? It was a memorable moment for everyone watching — especially the audience, we can imagine.
Zac Efron & Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift and Zac Efron singing a song together? Name a more iconic duo. These two appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in early 2012, and Zac revealed that Taylor had been teaching him to play the guitar. They soon launched into a made-up duet about Ellen, the show, and how she always asks Taylor about her dating life.
Kobe Bryant
In 2012, Lakers star Kobe Bryant stopped by Ellen's show, and he had a chance to meet one of his biggest fans. Young Jarred Jones not only got to watch his idol from the audience, but he got to play in a basketball shoot-off against him to win Lakers tickets. Kobe did a great job of letting Jarred win while still making him feel like it was a tough competition, and it was so sweet. These are the acts of kindness the late sports legend will be remembered for.
Kate McKinnon
Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon can do just about any impression under the sun, and she does a great Ellen DeGeneres. In 2013, she got a chance to show off her Ellen impression for Ellen herself. Kate came out in an outfit that perfectly matched the talk show host's and immediately launched into her exaggerated, but hilarious rendition.
Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer is a hilarious comedian, so her stories were some of the best when she went on Ellen's show in 2015. She recounted a time when she went to a basketball game and sat next to Glee star Diana Agron. Amy didn't realize people were taking pictures of them, so she was pounding wine and popcorn, while Diana sat frozen in a perfect smile. And to hear Amy tell the story, she looks just like Diana if Diana "were stung by a million bees."
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has been on the Ellen DeGeneres Show a ton of times in his career, and his appearances are always entertaining. On several occasions, he's helped Ellen prank other people. This time, he called one of his superfans and pretended to be someone from her school who was mad at her for missing class. His British accent was so on point.
Caitlyn Jenner
After Caitlyn Jenner came out as a trans woman, she sat down with Ellen to talk about everything. Caitlyn revealed that pre-transition she used to wear women's undergarments while giving motivational speeches to feel more like herself, and she would sometimes leave her hotel dressed in women's clothing without people noticing. Ellen also probed Caitlyn on her feelings about gay marriage, which Caitlyn admitted she hadn't always been for. However, by the time she came out, she realized she didn't want to stand in the way of anyone else's happiness either.
One Direction
When the members of One Direction played "Never Have I Ever" with Ellen in 2015, they ended up revealing a lot about themselves. Can you guess who among them has used their bandmate's toothbrush without telling them, hooked up with a fan, and more? If you guessed Harry Styles on that second one, you're right — giving groupies everywhere hope.
Kanye West
He's known for going on intense tangents when on TV, and Kanye West's appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2016 was no different. He spoke uninterrupted for most of his segment, speaking about his childhood, his desire to make a difference, his controversial tweets, and more. No one in the audience really knew how to react, nor did Ellen. He concluded the rant with, "I'm sorry, daytime television. I'm sorry for the realness."
Kim Kardashian
A year later, Kim Kardashian went on the show and she got super emotional speaking about the time she was robbed in Paris. She said the incident changed her. "I'm such a different person … I was definitely materialistic before — not that there's anything bad with having things and working hard to get those things … I just don't care about that stuff anymore." She was just happy to still be there with her kids and family and friends.
Katy Perry
Ellen meets and talks to a lot of celebs, so she can probably be forgiven for forgetting some details. Despite having previously hosted Katy Perry on the show — and giving her wedding gifts after she married Russell Brand — when Katy returned to the couch in 2017, Ellen totally forgot that she'd ever been married. Awkward!
Portia de Rossi
Ellen's wife, Portia de Rossi, stopped by the show fairly frequently, but her 2018 appearance was one of the most memorable. She came for Ellen's 60th birthday and gifted her a wildlife foundation whose first initiative was a sanctuary for gorillas. Ellen loves animals, and she got choked up after hearing about her special present.
Kourtney Kardashian
This interview was so funny it ended up circulating on TikTok. Kourtney Kardashian played "Who'd You Rather," and ended up revealing her type — John Mayer. Even as Ellen kept giving her new men to choose from, Kourtney kept going back to John. She knew what she wanted! (Ironically, her current boyfriend Travis Barker looks nothing like John Mayer, but OK.)
Hasan Minhaj
While appearing on Ellen's show in 2019, comedian Hasan Minhaj took the opportunity to educate people on how to properly pronounce his name — and he explained the importance of getting people's names right. If we can learn how to say Timothée Chalamet, we can learn how to say Hasan Minhaj. Watch the video to hear the correct pronunciation.
Dakota Johnson
This is now perhaps one of the most infamous Ellen interviews. The TV host joked that Dakota hadn't invited her to her 30th birthday party, only for Dakota to say, "Actually, no. That's not the truth, Ellen." Turns out that Ellen was invited, she just couldn't make it. But it led to an awkward exchange where Dakota revealed she wasn't even sure if Ellen liked her. Yikes!
Demi Lovato
Singer Demi Lovato has always been open about her struggles with addiction and her eating disorder. When she went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2020, she spoke about both of those things, but it was particularly inspiring to hear her talk about eating a real cake for her birthday. In the past, she had only eaten "watermelon cake," to cut down on calories, but she was done sacrificing that real cake experience. She later referenced the experience in her song, Melon Cake.
