The Ellen DeGeneres Show by the Numbers, from Push-Ups and Underwear Prices to Total Donations
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It's time to say goodbye to The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Since its premiere in 2003, Ellen DeGeneres's talk show has stolen the hearts of viewers and celebrities alike. Thursday's episode was the final time the comic would grace the TVs of viewers nationwide, and it came with plenty of tears.
DeGeneres, 64, celebrated the finale by welcoming back her friend Jennifer Aniston, who was the first guest she ever had on the show in 2003. Pink — who wrote the show's Emmy Award-winning theme song — performed one of DeGeneres' favorite songs, "What About Us," and Billie Eilish also made an appearance on the final episode.
Though the show hit a rough patch last year, facing controversy over allegations of workplace toxicity, DeGeneres said the scandal was not the reason why season 19 would be the show's last. Despite its possible missteps, The Ellen DeGeneres Show broke barriers and became a staple of daytime television.
In honor of the series finale, PEOPLE is taking a trip down memory lane to remember all of the incredible things DeGeneres accomplished and shared with the world while hosting the show.
11 Appearances by Taylor Swift
At 18 years old, Taylor Swift made her Ellen DeGeneres Show debut in 2008. Later that same year, she returned to the show and DeGeneres surprised her with her childhood crush Justin Timberlake.
She went on to appear on the show 10 more times as a musical performer, including duets (notably one in 2012 with her The Lorax costar Zac Efron) and attempted scares, which were a favorite of the show's host.
$18.69: Price of a Pair of Ellen Underwear on eBay
One of the signature parts of The Ellen DeGeneres Show was the host's gift-giving –– which was more often than not satirical, or a gift of her own show's merchandise.
Ellen underwear became a well-known gift among her celebrity guests after they were first given to Timberlake, her second-ever guest. The Ellen-branded underwear has since been discontinued — but has sold online on eBay for more than $18.
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20 Appearances by Jennifer Aniston
The Morning Show star not only kicked off and closed out DeGeneres's award-winning show, she also appeared eighteen other times in between.
She was also often the subject of DeGeneres' scares, and even helped with the host's annual 12 Days of Giveaways, during which audience members were gifted a plethora of gifts courtesy of the hosts and partner brands.
25 Push-Ups
Former First Lady Michelle Obama was another favorite guest of the show. She and DeGeneres often went on out-of-studio adventures, including a shopping trip to CVS and an impromptu book signing event at Costco following the release of Obama's Becoming.
One of the most notable appearances by the First Lady, though, was when DeGeneres challenged her to a push-up contest in 2012. Obama's 25 push-ups beat out DeGeneres's mere 20.
27 Appearances by Justin Bieber
Another one of DeGeneres's favorite guests was Justin Bieber, who first appeared on the show in 2009. Now 28, Bieber was 15 at the time and making his daytime television debut singing his first hit "One Time." DeGeneres warned him he might be the cutest he would ever be, teasing, "I can't imagine you getting cuter."
Since then, he's performed countless times, helped DeGeneres surprise viewers in need and has surprised more fans than nearly any other celebrity guest. During his last appearance, on Ellen's birthday show in 2020, he said he "kind of grew up" on the show.
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64 Daytime Emmy Awards Won
Throughout its 19-season run, the show won 64 Daytime Emmy Awards. It nabbed titles in categories ranging from Outstanding Talk Show Host to Interactive Media – Enhancement to a Daytime Program or Series. Remarkably, 20 of those 64 awards came within the show's first five seasons.
200 Scares
As of the show's 3,000th episode in April 2021, DeGeneres had scared guests more than 200 times. A year later, with the airing of the show's final episode, that total has surely grown.
One of the show's producers, Andy Lassner, was often featured as the subject of DeGeneres's scares and was later given his own segment where he brought celebrity guests to haunted houses. The results were guaranteed to make viewers cry from laughter.
1,600 Musical Performances
The Ellen Show launched countless careers, boasted the premiere television performances of pop sensations like Bieber, and even helped Charlie Puth get signed in 2011 after his success on YouTube.
On the show's 3,000th episode, it had aired 1,600 musical performances to date. Now, over a year later, that's an underestimate, as about half of the final season's episodes featured a musical performance.
3,280 Episodes
Thursday's episode marks the 3,280th episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Over nearly 19 years of dominating the talk show industry, DeGeneres's show goes down in history as one of the longest-running talk shows on TV. Between celebrity guests, highlighting every day people and their incredible lives, plenty of fun and games, and a whole lot of dancing, every episode touched viewers' hearts –– keeping the show going for as long as it did.
RELATED VIDEO: Ellen DeGeneres Tapes Final Show, Announces Last Episode Air Date: 'Greatest Privilege of My Life'
$500,000: Her Biggest Donation Ever
In 2016, DeGeneres surprised Spain Elementary School in Detroit with the gift of a lifetime. The performing arts school was dilapidated and low on resources, and with the help of Lowe's, DeGeneres donated more than $500,000 worth of materials to help fix the building's issues, technology for the students and other basic resources, including coats and cold-weather clothing.
Bieber also surprised both DeGeneres's audience and the school, donating $1 from every ticket sold at his Detroit show toward the school.
$1 Million: Her Biggest Single Giveaway to One Family
In 2019, the show's largest-ever single giveaway took place. DeGeneres gifted a total of $1 million to the Daniels family. Christi and Robert Daniels were avid Ellen watchers, and after DeGeneres surprised the parents and their four sons with the entirety of the 2019 12 Days of Giveaways loot, she invited the family back once again.
With the help of Cheerios, she gifted the family $500,000 for their personal use and $500,000 for them to use to give back to their community. One of the reasons they had been invited on the show was for their generosity to others despite their own financial struggles.
$500 Million: The Whopping Total
The show's current estimate is that it has given away a total of $500 million to both viewers and people in need. One of the hallmarks of DeGeneres's show was her generosity. She was known for closing out almost every episode with a simple slogan: "Be kind to one another."
Throughout its nearly 20-year run, The Ellen DeGeneres Show spread kindness to viewers, charities and celebrities alike. As Oprah Winfrey told DeGeneres on her final appearance on the show, "You are going to be missed."
