Look, Dakota Johnson isn’t the reason why The Ellen DeGeneres Show is ending after its 19th season. But people really want to believe she is.

Dakota’s face and name began cropping up all over social media on Wednesday after Ellen announced she would end her daytime talk show after nearly two decades. It was “the plan all along,” the host told The Hollywood Reporter.

Fans of Dakota and those of us who are extremely engaged on social media will remember her wildly awkward interview on Ellen’s show back in November 2019.

When Ellen asked why she wasn’t invited to Dakota’s 30th birthday party that year, the actor pushed back: “Actually no. That’s not the truth, Ellen. You were invited. Last time I was on the show last year, you gave me a bunch of shit about not inviting you, but I didn’t even know you wanted to be invited. I didn’t even know you liked me!”

Dakota smirked and laughed throughout the exchange. But Ellen ― clearly taken aback ― uncomfortably assured the Fifty Shades of Grey star that “of course I like you.”

“You knew I liked you,” said DeGeneres. “You’ve been on the show many times.”

Ellen later quibbled with a crew member about the birthday invite. “I was invited? Why didn’t I go? Oh yeah, I had a thing. It was probably in Malibu. That’s too far for me to go ― I think I do remember I was invited. But I really didn’t remember that until just now.”

Dakota completed the moment when she said that Tig Notaro, who performed at that 30th birthday party that Ellen missed, was her favourite comedian. 

The exchange went on to live in infamy on social media, as fans raved about Dakota “destroy[ing] Ellen’s whole career.”

And now, amid the news that the The Ellen DeGeneres Show is ending, her 2019 appearance is resurfacing on social media, as is conjecture that Dakota is the reason.

Without further ado, the commentary: