Major problems continue for Ellen DeGeneres and her hit daytime talk show…
One current and 10 former employees have come forward anonymously with claims that producers and execs at The Ellen DeGeneres Show have long fostered a “toxic work environment” on set and with lower-level production staff. This all comes out now, too, after major accusations about the host’s own alleged bad behavior rocked the TV world over the past few months.
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On Thursday, BuzzFeed News published a piece vividly describing new accusations of microaggressions and misconduct, as well as allegations certain lower-level employees were subjected to favoritism by executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner. It should be noted no specific criticisms were levied against DeGeneres herself this time around, though some of the former employees did recall how they were repeatedly and specifically told not to speak to the A-list star whenever she was in the office or on set.
Hmmm…
Regardless, one former staff member summed up the new grievances nicely, saying (below):
“People focus on rumors about how Ellen is mean and everything like that, but that’s not the problem. The issue is these three executive producers running the show who are in charge of all these people [and] who make the culture and are putting out this feeling of bullying and being mean. They feel that everybody who works at The Ellen Show is lucky to work there: ‘So if you have a problem, you should leave because we’ll hire someone else because everybody wants to work here.'”
Wow. Another former employee, who is Black, recalled experiencing “microaggressions” and being “reprimanded” by producers when she asked for a raise, and later upon suggesting staff members undergo diversity and inclusion training.
The woman told BuzzFeed News:
“I feel like I’m not alone in this. We all feel this. We’ve been feeling this way, but I’ve been too afraid to say anything because everyone knows what happens when you say something as a Black person. You’re blacklisted.”
Others recall how, in one instance, a person’s position was abruptly eliminated only after they returned to work following a one-month medical leave due to a suicide attempt. Another employee claims they were fired after going on a three-week medical leave for injuries suffered in a car accident. Per the report itself, both accounts were apparently corroborated by medical records and other Ellen Show employees.
Ultimately, one former worker slammed Ellen herself for not taking on a bigger role in overseeing all the toxicity and chaos, saying:
“If she wants to have her own show and have her name on the show title, she needs to be more involved to see what’s going on. I think the executive producers surround her and tell her, ‘Things are going great, everybody’s happy,’ and she just believes that, but it’s her responsibility to go beyond that.”
Well said! For their part, the three exec producers released a statement to E! News, in which they claimed they were taking the allegations “very seriously.” The trio continued:
“We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us. For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us. We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better.”
Uh-huh. Guess we’ll see if that statement actually turns into action… Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound off about everything down in the comments (below)…
[Image via WENN]
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