After 19 seasons, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' is about to end

After 19 seasons, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' is about to end

Transcript¹

After more than 3,000 episodes, the finale one airs Thursday. The longtime talk show host is a pioneering voice who leaves behind a complicated legacy².

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Ellen DeGeneres's talk show will end its run today after 19 years and more than 3,000 episodes. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says DeGeneres is a pioneering voice with a complicated legacy.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE³: Recent episodes leading to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show's" finale have been packed with celebrity⁴ goodbyes, but few of them landed with the power of the farewell given by the star that DeGeneres calls her longtime friend and mentor⁵, Oprah Winfrey.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")

OPRAH WINFREY: Oh, yeah. You're going to go on. You're going to go on. But you will never, ever have a time like this where you were held in the public's eye and received the joy in such a way. Isn't she going to be so missed?

(APPLAUSE)

DEGGANS: One key to that admiration⁶ is DeGeneres' status as a groundbreaking gay star, a performer whose career was nearly derailed after she came out publicly in 1997, only to see her popularity rebound⁷ as a successful, openly queer host on daytime TV. Celebrities⁸, including "Saturday Night Live" alum Kate McKinnon, have cited her as an inspiration for openly gay performers. Still, there is a dark cloud over the show's approaching end, namely allegations published by BuzzFeed in the summer of 2020, featuring former employees saying the show was a toxic⁹ workplace, culminating in the departure of three top executives and an on-air apology from DeGeneres herself.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")

ELLEN DEGENERES: I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected¹⁰.

DEGGANS: DeGeneres's apology rang hollow to some who'd heard rumors¹¹ her offstage persona was more critical and mean than her sunny onscreen attitude. One lesson DeGeneres seemed to take from Winfrey was that centering her show on a higher purpose could build passionate¹² audiences in daytime television. DeGeneres' show emphasized the phrase be kind to one another, saying it at the end of episodes, creating a line of merchandise with the slogan, featuring charity drives and giveaways, and developing a subscription¹³ box filled with items she selected called the Be Kind box. The show's workplace scandal damaged that image to a daytime TV audience which values authenticity¹⁴. Ratings dropped, and just about a year ago, DeGeneres announced the series would end after this season. Saying she felt some of the criticism she faced during the scandal was unfair and inaccurate¹⁵, DeGeneres told "Today Show" host Savannah Guthrie last year she now regrets centering her talk show on the slogan.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TODAY")

DEGENERES: I started it because at the time there were a lot of young gay boys being either, you know, killed or bullied¹⁶ into suicide because they were gay. And it was happening a lot. And that's why I started saying, be kind to one another. And then suddenly someone was like, hey, you know what would be good clickbait, is if the be kind lady isn't kind.

DEGGANS: That's quite a journey for a performer who got her early fame as a lighthearted comic who cracked jokes about airline travel and working out, like this bit from a 1992 HBO special.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DEGENERES: I lift weights. I do that a lot. I lift weights religiously. I don't lift them every day. I hardly ever do lift them. But when I do, I go, Jesus Christ. They're heavy, hence the name.

DEGGANS: Her sunny comedy eventually earned her a sitcom¹⁷ on ABC. By 1997, DeGeneres was ready to come out as gay in real life and on the show in an episode where a character accidentally activates¹⁸ a public address system while confessing her attraction to a friend, played by Laura Dern.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ELLEN")

DEGENERES: Why do I have to be so ashamed? I mean, why can't I just say the truth, I mean, be who I am? I'm 35 years old. Susan, I'm gay.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DEGENERES: And it wasn't to make a political statement. It wasn't to do anything other than to free myself up from this heaviness that I was carrying around. And I just wanted to be honest.

DEGGANS: That's DeGeneres speaking at Tulane University's 2009 commencement about the coming out episode. The backlash was tough. Religious leaders ran ads in newspapers condemning¹⁹ her, and an unsure entertainment industry recoiled²⁰.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DEGENERES: I lost my career. I got - the show was canceled after six years without even telling me. I read it in the paper. The phone didn't ring for three years.

DEGGANS: DeGeneres pieced her career back together, hosting the Emmy Awards after 9/11 in 2001 and playing Dory in "Finding Nemo." But the talk show, which she started in 2003, allowed her to reintroduce herself to America as the queen of nice, as homophobia in show business was waning²¹. Now she'll exit daytime TV, just as activists²² fear renewed legal attacks on same-sex marriage, and rising incidents of homophobia and transphobia might threaten the progress she once embodied²³. It's a bittersweet end for a TV host who seems to have let her meteoric²⁴ comeback blind her to the qualities that made audiences fall in love with her in the first place.

I'm Eric Deggans.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

5 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

6 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

7 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

8 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

9 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

13 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

14 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

15 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

16 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 sitcom   

n.情景喜剧，（广播、电视的）系列幽默剧

参考例句：

• This sitcom is produced in cooperation with Hong Kong TV.这部连续剧是同香港电视台联合制作的。
• I heard that a new sitcom is coming out next season.我听说下一季会推出一个新的情境喜剧。

18 activates   

使活动，起动，触发( activate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position. 激活窗口，保持当前的大小及位置不变。
• Pulling out the alarm switch activates alarm and pushing it deactivates it. 闹钟的开和关是通过拔出和按入闹铃开关实现的。

19 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 recoiled   

v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回

参考例句：

• She recoiled from his touch. 她躲开他的触摸。
• Howard recoiled a little at the sharpness in my voice. 听到我的尖声，霍华德往后缩了一下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 meteoric   

adj.流星的，转瞬即逝的，突然的

参考例句：

• In my mind,losing weight is just something meteoric.在我眼中，减肥不过是昙花一现的事情。
• His early career had been meteoric.他的早期生涯平步青云。