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I can’t say I’m much of a fan of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but the host herself always seemed nice enough.

She danced, she smiled, she joked, and she made a habit of introducing people to their heroes and giving out money and gifts to people in need.

Behind the scenes, however, and especially when it came to what happened behind the scenes of her show, insiders talked of a very different Ellen DeGeneres, and a workplace environment that was incredibly toxic, with allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by producers.

These stories have been circulating for some time, but have really kicked into gear in the past few months, and then again in the past few days.

As far back as October last year, this tweet, and the responses to it, are telling:

When you move to LA the first two things that happen are you get a parking ticket and someone who once worked for Ellen will tell you a story about how she’s a monster

— Dan Sheehan (@ItsDanSheehan) October 7, 2019

A month or so later, and actress Dakota Johnson was interviewed by Ellen, in a now-viral exchange that many say really prompted a closer look at how the host conducts herself on set.

Rather than playing nice, Johnson called Ellen out during the awkward exchange, with many saying it illustrated the host’s ‘fake’ nature.

You can watch the video on YouTube here.

Fast forward to March of this year, and another damning tweet that prompted entertainment industry insiders to spill the beans on what it was like to work for, and with, Ellen:

Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen Degeneres always talks about! 😊❤️

She’s also notoriously one of the meanest people alive

Respond to this with the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean & I’ll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank

— Kevin T. Porter (@KevinTPorter) March 20, 2020

In April, her video comparing being holed up in her California mansion during quarantine to being in jail went down like a lead balloon, and the backlash kicked up a gear last month.

Here’s the Washington Post:

On July 16, BuzzFeed published a long story by Krystie Lee Yandoli, who interviewed former (and one current) “Ellen” show employees who alleged a toxic environment of “racism, fear, and intimidation.” As one former staffer said, “That ‘be kind’ bulls— only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show.”

…DeGeneres also sent an email to staff that said there will be changes: “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. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry.”

You can read that July 16 BuzzFeed article here.

Whilst Ellen claimed that this “toxic” environment happened without her knowledge, not everyone was buying it.

Take her Finding Nemo co-star Brad Garrett, for example, who really cut to the chase:

Sorry but it comes from the top ⁦@TheEllenShow Know more than one who were treated horribly by her.⁩ Common knowledge. DeGeneres Sends Emotional Apology to Staff – Variety https://t.co/D0uxOgyyre

— Brad Garrett (@RealBradGarrett) July 31, 2020

Perhaps Ellen will be glad that her show is currently on summer hiatus, but it is due to return to screens soon.

Senior creatives and producers are back at work this week, with the show slated to return on September 9, and nobody seems quite sure as to how this will affect her core audience’s reaction.

Variety reporting below:

“What makes it difficult, with the kind of crisis this is, is it’s not an acute problem” such as harassment by DeGeneres herself or embezzlement, said Ketchum senior VP of issues and crisis management Andrew Moesel. “It’s more a challenge to her entire brand ethos, which is as a friendly, relatable person next door, which is really the way that viewers perceive her and her value as an entertainer.”

The allegations “create a sizable crack in the impression of her as a friendly, next-door neighbor that you’re spending your afternoon with,” he said.

Those thoughts were echoed by entertainment publicist Danny Deraney, who said he had been hearing similar stories about Ellen for years:

“She has an image problem that clearly is going to need some work to salvage any kind of momentum that she has earned over this time or any kind of positive reputation that she has,” said Deraney.

Over on Instagram, The Ellen Show has turned off comments on posts, and her wife, Portia de Rossi, has publicly shown support on her account:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

To all our fans….we see you. Thank you for your support. #stopbotattacks . #IStandWithEllenDeGeneres #IStandByEllen ‪#IstandByEllenDeGeneres ‬ . . #ellendegeneres #ellen #theellenshow #ellenshow #bekindtooneanother

A post shared by Portia de Rossi (@portiaderossi) on Aug 3, 2020 at 10:03am PDT

The comments on that post, which includes the hashtag #stopbotattacks, are a mixture of people defending Ellen, and others saying she is finally getting what has long been coming her way.

I suppose if you spend years crafting a lucrative public persona that revolves around how lovely you are, a failure to live up to that, be it in public or behind closed doors, will eventually catch up with you.

[sources:washpost&variety]