Ellen DeGeneres, a daytime American talk show culture icon, announced her retirement on Wednesday after 19 seasons leading a TV fixture tarnished by toxic workplace accusations.

The 63-year-old host, writer, producer, actor, and comedian has received dozens of Emmy awards for her work on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and had been a pioneer in the LGBTQ community in the US.

On Wednesday, she stated that her decision to discontinue her afternoon broadcast after the last season in 2022 has nothing to do with complaints of workplace bullying, racial discrimination, and sexual harassment in the previous year.

Former and present employees said that "Ellen" was a hellish place to work. The show has also suffered from declining ratings.

On Wednesday, DeGeneres told the Hollywood Reporter that the allegations "devastated" her.

According to Agence France-Presse, she stated, "All I thought about was promoting love and compassion, and all I stood for was only being targeted."

"If you're a creative person, you need to be continually pushed. And, as good as this show is and as entertaining as it is, it is no longer a challenge "DeGeneres shared.

When worker concerns surfaced last summer, she admitted there were issues, apologized, and promised to do better in the future.

Although DeGeneres was not accused of any misconduct, three top producers were removed.

‘Be Kind’

Last August, the actor Brad Garrett, who went on her show six times, tweeted: "@TheellenShow, I'm sorry, but it starts from the top.  I know more than one person who was severely mistreated by her. It is public knowledge."

DeGeneres, whose company was founded on the phrase "Be Kind," said the accusation was "extremely painful to me." I mean, extremely."

"But if I were leaving the show because of it, I wouldn't even have returned for this season. So that's not why I'm coming to a halt "She briefed the Hollywood Reporter about it.

She is said to have been contemplating the end of the show for some years.

Since September, the show's ratings have dropped by more than half, to 1.2 million viewers each broadcast, compared to the previous season.

On Thursday, she will be joined by Oprah Winfrey to discuss the conclusion of the show. The last episode will air in the spring of 2022.

DeGeneres has always been a co-producer of her show and earned an estimated $84 million last year, owing mostly to the broadcast.

According to Forbes magazine, this places her as the world's 12th highest-paid celebrity.

When DeGeneres was diagnosed with COVID-19 in December, the show has gone on a temporary pause.

"People have been suggesting, 'Why don't we just attempt to go a little longer?' But 19 years is a long time to wait for anything to happen "She told the Hollywood Reporter about it.

"I'm not always a happy person, but my objective is never to hurt anybody."