Ellen DeGeneres had to fight in order to get a talk show. Eighteen years later, it is a huge success. Granted, it was even more of a success before the allegations against her and her show last year, but she danced her way through season eighteen and didn’t even let a personal battle with COVID-19 stop her.

Earlier this week, DeGeneres broke the news to her staff that next season, season 19, will be the final season of the show. While this was shocking news to her staff and her audience, it was not a rash decision by DeGeneres. Two years ago, when she renewed her show for 3 more seasons, she had no intention of signing another contract to continue the show. Her plan was for season 19 to be the end.

TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie visited DeGeneres’s set to ask her about her show, the allegations against her and her show, her show’s slump in ratings and why she’s really walking away from what she describes as “the best experience” of her life.

DeGeneres explained that the allegations against her and her show last summer felt “personal.” She described the attack as “devastating.” Yet, she wasn’t about to let whoever was attacking her win. She explained, “It felt like someone really did not want the show to come back, and I thought well,  if I don’t come back, they win, and I’m not going to let them win.”

She added that with 255 employees it’s impossible for her to know everything that’s going on behind the scenes at the show, but she wishes someone had told her there was a problem. She said, “I do wish someone would have come to me and said, ‘Hey, something’s going on that you should know about.’”

Many people might find it odd that DeGeneres is choosing to end the show after 19 seasons when one more season would make it an even 20, but she argues that “19 is actually better than 20.” She explained, “One if the beginning. Nine is the end. So it’s the beginning of a new chapter for me and the end of this chapter.” Then she pointed out what a disaster of a year 2020 turned out to be, so it’s hard to argue that 20 is a good number.

What’s next for DeGeneres? She doesn’t know for sure, but after the show’s final episode she says, “I hope I’m on an island.” As far as career goals, she’s interested in doing a movie if the role is great. She even joked that maybe she should direct since she’s so impatient.

Watch the video below to see Guthrie’s full interview with DeGeneres to here tidbits like who her favorite guests were and what she loves most about her show.

Did you find anything DeGeneres said surprising? Do you think she’ll direct a movie? Who do you hope she interviews in her final season?