Ellen DeGeneres' "instincts" told her that it was time to end her talk show.
The 63-year-old TV presenter announced on Wednesday that the upcoming 19th series of The Ellen DeGeneres Show will be her last, and in a monologue to viewers at the top of Wednesday's show, she said she's "forever grateful" to her fans for "changing her life" by watching the programme.
In the pre-recorded video, also shared on her Twitter account, Ellen told her virtual audience: "I am announcing that next season, season 19, is going to be my last season.
"So, the past 18 years, you have to know have changed my life. You have all changed my life. I'm forever grateful to all of you for watching, for laughing and dancing, sometimes crying. This show has been the greatest experience of my life, and I owe it all to you. So, thank you."
Ellen - who is married to Portia de Rossi - pondered the decision "for a while", but admitted that when she signed a three-season extension two years ago she knew then the 19th series would be her last.
"You may wonder why I've decided to end after 19 seasons and the truth is I always trust my instincts," she continued. "My instinct told me it's time. I truly have felt like next season was the right time to end this amazing chapter. I promise you that we are going to have a fantastic final season.
"It will be a season where I truly get to say, thank you. Every day will be a celebration."
It comes after Ellen recently praised Portia for helping to "keep (her) going" last year after former employees of her talk show accused some of the show's producers – who have since been sacked – of creating a "toxic" work environment.
"It broke my heart; I couldn't have gone through everything I went through without her," she said of her other half. "It was a horrible time in my life, and she was a rock. She kept me going and tried to help me put things in perspective."
The Ellen DeGeneres Show first aired in September 2003.
