Ellen fans rejoiced after news that the comedian, talk show host and recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient would come to Philly. But now it appears their hopes have been dashed.
Here’s what happened: On Monday night, Ellen DeGeneres announced on Twitter that she would “shut down” Walnut Street.
“I’m going to shut down a couple of blocks on Walnut St. in #Philly,” she tweeted. “If you’re free on Wednesday, it’s gonna be fun.”
But after rumors that Ellen was coming to Philly went viral, she issued a clarifying tweet that her “crew” was coming, likely meaning they’ll just be filming and the comic won’t be showing up. Ellen then issued a clarifying tweet, writing, “Tomorrow I’m sending some of my crew to #Philly for a live shot on Walnut Street. Y’all are gonna look great on my show,” the follow-up tweet said. On Tuesday afternoon, she made it official, telling fans to come to Walnut Street for a chance to be on the show.
“I don’t know what you’ve got going on tomorrow, #Philly, but you better be free at 4pm… that is, if you wanna be on my show,” she tweeted.
I’m going to shut down a couple of blocks on Walnut St. in #Philly. If you’re free on Wednesday, it’s gonna be fun.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 21, 2017
Tomorrow I’m sending some of my crew to #Philly for a live shot on Walnut Street. Y’all are gonna look great on my show.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 21, 2017
I don’t know what you’ve got going on tomorrow, #Philly, but you better be free at 4pm… that is, if you wanna be on my show.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 21, 2017
Reps from The Ellen Show confirmed that they will film a “live Twitter shot” Wednesday to be aired on the Thursday episode of the show. Ellen will host via live streaming, with a correspondent from the show on site wrangling Ellen fans. But what exactly they’ll be filming is still a secret. Speculation includes that she could just be filming for her show, or she might be debuting a new line of footwear from her personal brand. The city confirmed that the live broadcast event will take place on the 1600 block of Walnut Street.
Walnut will be closed from Broad to 17th Street from 1 to 8 p.m. to accommodate for the event, with intersecting streets remaining open.
