By Eamonn Burke
The reputation of Ellen Degeneres and her show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, are unstable after employees of the production alleged there was a “toxic work environment.” This included citations of being fired after medical leave, bullying, racism, and sexual misconduct by producers. While there were rumors of Ellen’s toughness, this is the first time a proper investigation has been done internally.
Of the report, released in July, Ellen said in a statement: “We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I’m glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention.”
This report is not the only scratch on Ellen’s reputation, as it is the culmination of multiple years of rumors. Back in 2018, in an interview response to the Hollywood stories of Ellen not being as cheerful and kind as she appears on television, she called the rumors an “outright lie.” In early 2019, she was criticized again for pardoning Kevin Hart of his previous homophobic comments in an interview with him. A photo of her talking with George Bush in late 2019 drew distaste again, though she defended herself and said that they were friends despite different political beliefs.
The closer examination of Ellen started with a November interview with Dakota Johnson, in which Johnson awkwardly calls out Ellen for lying about not being invited to her birthday party. It led to a viral Twitter thread including ugly stories about Ellen’s meanness which further damaged her reputation. Lastly before the report was an April scuffle with Ellen’s audience as she insensitively compared quarantine to being in jail while she sat in her mansion. It was also reported that her employees had been told very little about the future of the show.
Most recently was a Daily Mail article revealing that Ellen may leave the show or be “cancelled” and that employees are terrified of this scenario. “The show feels done” says a source, despite producer Andy Lassner asserting that “No one is going off the air” in a tweet. It is possible that James Corden will replace Ellen on her daytime television slot.
