Ellen DeGeneres denies knowledge of toxic workplace in first interview about show's end: 'I had no idea'

Ellen DeGeneres joined the "Today" show on Thursday to address her decision to end "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after its 19th season in 2022.

"You know, emotional," DeGeneres told Guthrie of the feelings she felt amid her announcement. "It's everything. I think that I got choked up on saying this has been the best experience of my life because it has been." Guthrie noted many may now question the timing of her announcement and wonder if it was made following the several claims that her show fostered a toxic workplace. "If I was quitting I would not have come back this year. I really did think about not coming back. It was devastating. I am a kind person. I am a person who likes to make people happy. I just kept saying to Portia [de Rossi] if I was a fan of somebody and even if I wasn't, I would think there must be some truth to it because it's not stopping. Right on the heels of that, I read in the press that there was a toxic work environment. I had no idea. I never saw anything that would even point to that," she said.