Star-studded line-up announced for final episodes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Former US first lady Michelle Obama, Serena Williams and Zac Efron are among the stars who will join Ellen DeGeneres in the final months of her daytime chat show.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show will air its last episode on May 26 after 19 seasons following allegations its host oversaw a toxic workplace environment.

To end the final season, a star-studded line-up including 13 Going On 30 actress Jennifer Garner, Magic Mike star Channing Tatum and TV host David Letterman are set to make guest appearances.

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, pop singer Gwen Stefani, actress Diane Keaton, reality star Kim Kardashian and model Behati Prinsloo will also feature in the closing episodes.

DeGeneres’ wife Portia de Rossi is also among the line-up of guests who will share their favourite memories about the show.

Jennifer Aniston helped launch the farewell season in September – a full-circle moment for the former Friends actress who was the first star to appear on the show when it launched in 2003.

After the chat show officially ends, it will “continue to air guest host shows, compilation shows, and repeats during the summer months on affiliate stations”.

The show premiered in 2003 at NBC Studios and later moved to Warner Bros Studios, with stage one later being dedicated to DeGeneres.

During its almost two decades on air, the show featured more than 4,000 guests and put some of the biggest names in the entertainment world in the hot seat.

Before the workplace scandal, DeGeneres, 64, was one of the most popular personalities on US TV, known for her bubbly on-screen persona and “be kind” mantra, often taking part in lavish giveaways or acts of charity.

In 2020, she apologised to staff after an internal review by Warner Bros found “deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management”.

DeGeneres has denied the claims that a toxic workplace environment were the reason she is ending her show.