Ellen DeGeneres struggled to hold back the tears as she said farewell to her hit talk show after almost 20 years.
The 64-year-old comedian was overcome with emotion and broke down filming her final episode, which aired today, 26 May.
After 19 seasons and more than 3,000 episodes, Ellen drew the curtain on her long-running show, enjoying one 'last dance' with her guest, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss.
The episode began with a look back at some of her entrances over the years, and when she came out in front of her audience, Ellen was welcomed with a standing ovation.
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Speaking to her audience, the host said: "Welcome to our very last show. I walked out her 19 years ago, and I said that this is the start of a relationship, and today is not he end of a relationship, it's more of a break.
"You can see other talk shows now. I may see another audience once in a while.
"Twenty years ago when we tried to sell this show, no one thought this would work, not because it was a different kind of show. It was because I was different.
"Very few stations wanted to buy the show and here we are 20 years later, celebrating this amazing journey together.
"This show has forever changed my life. It is the greatest experience I have ever had."
She went on: "When we started this show I couldn’t say 'gay’ on the show. I was not allowed to say 'gay'. I said it at home a lot. 'What are we having for our gay breakfast?' Or 'Pass the gay salt'. [Or] 'Has anyone seen the gay remote?’ — things like that.
"I couldn’t say 'we', because that implied that I was with someone. Sure couldn’t say 'wife', that’s because it wasn't legal for gay people to get married. And now I say 'wife' all the time.
"Twenty five years ago they cancelled my sitcom because they didn’t want a lesbian to be in primetime once a week. So I said 'OK, I’ll be in daytime every day, how 'bout that?'"
Ellen then came to the end of her final-ever monologue.
"What a beautiful, beautiful journey that we have been together," she said to the camera.
"If this show has made you smile, if it has lifted you up when you’re in a period of some type of pain, some type of sadness, anything you are going through, then I have done my job.
"Because of this platform we have been able to change people's lives. This show has forever changed my life. It is the greatest experience I have ever had, beyond my wildest imagination."
She then added: "So, tWitch, one last time. Dance with me."
An increasingly emotional Ellen then wiped away the tears and went into the audience to say goodbye to her fans.
During the episode, there were appearances from a whole host of famous faces, including Jennifer Aniston and Billie Eilish.
Ellen announced the that her show would be coming to an end last year, saying she 'needed a new challenge'.
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Topics: Celebrity, Ellen DeGeneres, US News, Film and TV
Dominic Smithers