'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' is ending, prompting dozens of jokes about Dakota Johnson and her iconic appearance on the talk show

• Ellen DeGeneres announced that her NBC talk show would end after its 19th season in 2022.
• Dakota Johnson immediately became a Twitter trend as users resurfaced her 2019 "Ellen" interview.
• Many social-media users shared memes and jokes imagining Johnson's reaction to the news.

Shortly after Ellen DeGeneres announced that her NBC talk show would end after its 19th season in 2022, Dakota Johnson's name began trending online, fueled by jokes about her uncomfortable 2019 interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

The "Fifty Shades of Grey" actor made a routine visit to the daytime program in November 2019, but her small talk with DeGeneres took a turn after the host accused Johnson of not extending an invitation to her 30th birthday party.

"Actually, no. That's not the truth, Ellen," Johnson replied. "You were invited."

Johnson went on to assure the comedian that she did, in fact, invite her to the celebration, calling on the show's producers to verify her story.

It was then confirmed that DeGeneres was out of town that weekend, with internet sleuths later concluding it was the weekend the talk-show host faced criticism for sitting with George W. Bush at a football game.

Because Johnson's tense interaction happened mere months before former "Ellen DeGeneres Show" guests and staffers began speaking about their negative experiences with the host, many social-media users have credited Johnson with opening the floodgates to the controversy. Many even celebrated the first anniversary of the episode on Twitter in November.

After DeGeneres shared her decision to wrap the show in 2022, Bridget Todd, the creator and host of iHeart Podcast's "There Are No Girls on the Internet," tweeted that DeGeneres' "public downfall started when she lied about not being invited to Dakota Johnson's party."

Many other social-media users also joked that Johnson was the one to credit for the show ending.

Others made joking references to Johnson's impact.

Hunter Harris, the writer behind the weekly newsletter "Hung Up," wrote: "every tongue that rises against dakota johnson shall fall!"

Meanwhile, Rachel Syme, a journalist for The New Yorker, said Wednesday was a "big day for the brunettes with bangs community."

Others, like Liv Marks, a reporter at Bauer Media, shared jokes about how Johnson could be reacting to the news.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres said the allegations raised by current and former employees at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" about her behavior didn't influence her decision to walk away from the program.

"It almost impacted the show. It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn't have come back this season," she said.

"I'm a creative person, and when you're a creative person you constantly need to be challenged," she said, adding: "As great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore. I need something new to challenge me."

The writer Bess Kalb put it differently, writing, "The moral of this story is if Dakota Johnson invites you to her birthday party you need to be truthful about that."