In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the time of the announcement, DeGeneres indicated that the show just wasn’t providing the same juice anymore.

“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged—and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” she said. 

The announcement came during a time of turmoil for DeGeneres, whose wholesome image took a hit after allegations in 2020 of a “toxic work environment” on the set of her show. One current and 10 former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show criticized the show’s hierarchy, though no specific claims were made about DeGeneres herself. (The producers ultimately left the show.)

While the allegations linger, things for current staffers just got a lot sweeter.

DeGeneres is giving out bonuses to employees and crew members based on years of service, according to Deadline. The payments are being issued on a sliding scale. Staff members who have been on the show for one to four years are getting two weeks’ pay, four-to-eight-year staffers are getting three week’ pay, and so forth. The bonuses are capped off at six weeks of pay for the longest-serving members on staff.

We can say a source close to production shares with us that it’s an incredibly emotional time for Ellen and the team as they head into the last few months.