DeGeneres made her name as a stand-up comedian and with a self-titled sitcom in the 1990s. The Ellen DeGeneres Show has aired since September 2003 and has broadcast more than 3,000 episodes.

It features a daily mix of comedy, interviews and human interest stories has been a US television staple. Ellen DeGeneres said her choice to exit the show was years in the making. Over time, her views and rating had plummeted due to allegations against DeGeneres and others and accusing them of creating a toxic work environment on set.

DeGeneres told THR that the show no longer challenges her creatively and said she came to the decision ahead of signing a three-season contract extension in 2018.

According to Fox News, three of Ellen’s staff said that they were “not surprised.”

“This has been a long time coming,” the former staffer told Fox News in an interview this week.

“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged — and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” DeGeneres tells The Hollywood Reporter.

A subsequent BuzzFeed News report in which 36 anonymous former employees alleged incidents of “harassment, sexual misconduct, and assault from top producers.” The former bodyguard said he hopes DeGeneres understands where so many of her staffers are coming from.