Ellen DeGeneres has finally spoken out following months of allegations from former staffers that the popular host created a notoriously toxic work environment on her talk show.
After several current and former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show came out with stories about their workplace environment being rife with rude behaviour, racism, intimidation tactics, and sexual misconduct from several top producers, the claims soon prompted a formal investigation into the show.
Now, in a leaked letter to staff, it’s been revealed that Ellen DeGeneres is “disappointed” by the ongoing allegations and has pledged to “do better”.
“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.”
“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,” DeGeneres wrote.
Following the investigation, which saw WarnerMedia interview a slew of current and former employees about the damning allegations, the popular talk show has reportedly already begun to make changes, including dropping executive producer Ed Glavin, who had been named among the more disturbing allegations from staff members.
“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,” Ellen said.
She added that if not for the current pandemic, she would have “done this in person”, and added she was “so sorry” to anyone who felt this way while working on the show.
“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.”
