(Above screenshot from YouTube)
Ellen DeGeneres kicked off the 18th season of her hit talk show with a virtual audience and addressing allegations that she had fostered an atmosphere of toxicity at the show.
“If you’re watching because you love me, thank you. If you’re watching because you don’t love me, welcome,” DeGeneres said, opening the show. “As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation.”
In July, BuzzFeed News published a report detailing the allegations of 11 employees from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” in which they spoke at length about their experiences working on the long-running series. These individuals described the atmosphere of the show’s set as a “‘toxic work environment’ filled with racism, intimidation and fear.”
Following these allegations, WarnerMedia conducted an internal investigation, in which the company “interviewed dozens of current and former employees about the environment at ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’”
“I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected,” DeGeneres said. “I know that I am in a position of privilege and power and I realize with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show. This is ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’ I am Ellen DeGeneres, my name is there, my name is there, my name is on underwear.”
WarnerMedia’s investigation led to three producers, executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman, “parting ways” with the show.
“We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace and what we want for the future. We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter,” DeGeneres said.
The award-winning talk show host also addressed rumors that she is not the happy, kind person she appears to be on the show went the cameras are off.
“The truth is I am that person that you see on TV. I am also a lot of other things,” she said. “Sometimes I get sad, I get mad, I get anxious, I get frustrated, I get impatient and I am working on all of that. I am a work in progress.”
DeGeneres said she became known as “the be kind lady” after discussing the suicide Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old college student who took his own life after being bullied for being gay.
“I thought the world needed more kindness and it was a reminder that we all needed that, and I think we need it more than ever right now,” DeGeneres said. “I still want to be the one hour a day where people can go to escape and laugh, I want to continue to help all the people we help everyday and I’m committed to making this the best season that we have ever had.”
Watch her full opening monologue below.
