ABOVE: Ellen DeGeneres (Photo courtesy Ellen DeGeneres’ official Facebook page.)
Emmy-winning talk show host and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres issued a letter to the staff of her show following numerous allegations of employee misconduct and an internal investigation of the show’s workplace culture, according to a report from Entertainment Weekly.
On July 16, 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.’”
“It was important to both Warner Bros. and Ellen that as many people as possible attached to the program could be heard,” Warner Bros. wrote in a statement. “‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world. And though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management.”
In DeGeneres’ letter to her staff, the comic host known for her message of spreading kindness expressed disappointment and regret upon learning of the misconduct that was taking place on the show’s set.
“On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect,” she wrote. “Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.”
DeGeneres also made clear that actions are being taken to rectify the damage that has been done on a personnel level and create a more positive workplace culture moving forward.
“My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that,” DeGeneres wrote. “As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”
Part of this upcoming sea change includes “several staffing changes.” Executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and other senior managers on the show “have been accused of ‘day-to-day toxicity’ toward employees.”
Glavin, Connelly and Lassner told BuzzFeed News that this is far from the core intention of their work.
“Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes and employing over 1000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe and inclusive work environment,” they said. “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.”
DeGeneres said that she’s also suffered mistreatment in the entertainment industry – the comedienne was ostracized from Hollywood after coming out on her eponymous sitcom in 1997 – and will no longer allow employees to perpetuate similar negative behavior toward staff.
“I’m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop,” she wrote. “As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or — worse — disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.”
DeGeneres also said that she welcomes the wave of scrutiny to her show and the personal accountability that it encourages.
“It’s been way too long, but we’re finally having conversations about fairness and justice,” she wrote. “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. I promise to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow.”
DeGeneres concluded her letter by saying that she wants the joyfulness of her show to be mutually felt by viewers and production employees.
“I am so proud of the work we do and the fun and joy we all help put out in the world,” she wrote. “I want everyone at home to love our show and I want everyone who makes it to love working on it. Again, I’m so sorry to anyone who didn’t have that experience.”
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” premiered in September 2003 and has run for 17 seasons. In 2019, the program won a pair of Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show and Outstanding Writing Special Class.
