E!'s 'The Soup' to end next month

"The Soup" -- which made stars out of Joel McHale and Aisha Tyler, and minced meat out of countless reality/talk-show inanities -- is ending after 22 seasons," E! announced Wednesday, saying the final edition will air Dec. 18.

“We are incredibly proud of the long-running success of ‘The Soup,' ” said Jeff Olde, EVP of Programming & Development for E! “ ‘The Soup’ has delivered countless laughs and unforgettable episodes, and we are grateful to the talented team’s fearless wit and clever approach week after week. Joel took the show to new heights for more than a decade, and his irreverent humor and unique brand of comedy as captured so perfectly on ‘The Soup’ will be missed.”

Indeed, E!'s cancellation release offered a nice summation of "Soup's" accomplishments: 

"Over its 22-year history, 'Talk Soup' and 'The Soup' have welcomed some of the most celebrated actors and singers as well as some incredibly desperate X-listers to stand in front of its jolly green screen and poke fun at the most ridiculous moments in television. Stars and 'stars' that have stopped by include Norman Reedus, Yvette Nicole Brown, Patrick Warburton, Alison Brie, Seth Green, Lucy Lawless, Chris Hardwick ..."

The statement names, literally, about a hundred other people, then ends with this:

"... and Carrot Top." 

"Soup" -- which began as "Talk Soup" -- was a big hit for this network, and a fish out of water, too, seemingly better suited to a simpatico place like Comedy Central instead of a network that actually supplied raw material. 

Meanwhile, the outstanding question: Will Ryan Seacrest be a part of the finale? I think we can all guess the answer.