Earlier today (12 May), it was announced that The Ellen DeGeneres Show will be coming to an end after its 19th season, scheduled to conclude in 2022.
Social media users quickly sprang to attention, resurfacing a 2019 interview Dakota Johnson did with the talk show host that was particularly uncomfortable.
Fans also name-dropped Johnson with memes meant to depict a lack of surprise.
As a reminder, the interaction between DeGeneres and Johnson quickly became internet fodder a couple of years ago and typically is resurfaced on social media when there is bad news surrounding Ellen.
The conversation, stemming from an interview on the talk show, saw DeGeneres ask Johnson about her 30th birthday party, claiming: “I wasn’t invited”.
But Johnson responded with the now-famous comment: “Actually, no, that’s not the truth, Ellen. You were invited.”
The unusually combative clip went viral on social media.
“It will NEVER not be funny to me that Ellen's public downfall started when she lied about not being invited to Dakota Johnson's party, when in reality she couldn’t come because she was at a football game with her good friend George W Bush,” wrote a user, re-upping the now-famous video.
“Dakota Johnson has done more for society by ending Ellen DeGeneres than most of your faves have in their careers, and it shows,” wrote another.
“Dakota Johnson reading about the Ellen show ending,” prompted a user with a meme.
Another user resurfaced Johnson’s interview in response to DeGeneres’ claim that she’s ending her talk show because “it’s not a challenge anymore”.
And another user wrote, “Me calling Dakota Johnson to say thank you for ending the Ellen DeGeneres show.”
The talk show, hosted by comedian and actor, debuted on 8 September 2003 and ran for nearly two decades, winning 61 daytime Emmys out of a staggering 171 nominations.
As previously reported, DeGeneres will discuss the show’s conclusion with Oprah Winfrey on an episode of Ellen airing on 13 May.
