Australian TV Executive Told Not to ‘Look at Ellen Degeneres’ During Interview While Fans Weigh in Amid Celebrity Reactions
Ellen DeGeneres and her daytime talk show are hot topics these days amid growing complaints about a “toxic work environment.” The accusations have gone from bad to worse with celebrities adding their two cents and fans taking sides. A former TV executive revealed his experience while rumors of an Ellen Show replacement run rampant. Here’s what we know.
Ellen DeGeneres addressed allegations
After months of complaints against The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s working conditions, the daytime talk show host released a statement. According to The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres sent a letter to her staff, addressing allegations of misconduct on the set.
The letter stated that DeGeneres wanted the show to be “a place of happiness,” and “I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry.”
Aside from the investigation WarnerMedia is conducting, DeGeneres said after she learned of the complaints, “we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues.”
While DeGeneres took responsibility in part, much of the apology pointed to surrounding staff, such as executives in charge of the day-to-day operations which, she said, didn’t adhere to her “standard of conduct.”
This comes in light of additional information sexual misconduct complaints regarding the executive producer, Ed Glavin. THR reported he will be let go.
“Once he’s out, it will be like a new day,” a source told the outlet, adding others may lose their jobs as well.
“That will now change, and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again,” she added in her memo. She is 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.”
In addition, she will work to “to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow. She concluded saying, “I’m so sorry to anyone who didn’t have that experience.”
It should be noted that the comments on The Ellen Show‘s Instagram posts have been disabled.
TV executive details ‘bizarre’ encounter with DeGeneres and staff
Along with the many employee complaints against DeGeneres, the Australian radio show host (and former Australian Today Show co-host), Neil Breen, claims he wasn’t allowed to interact with her when she appeared on his program in 2013.
According to an interview for 4BC (via Daily Mail), Breen’s instructions from DeGeneres’ staff were extreme saying DeGeneres’ “people dictated everything — from seating to lighting, to how the interview would work.”
‘The producer called us aside and said, ‘Now Neil, no one is to talk to Ellen. You don’t talk to her, you don’t approach her, you don’t look at her,”‘ he said.
‘”She’ll come in, she’ll sit down, she’ll talk to Richard and then Ellen will leave’. And I sort of said, ‘Are you fair dinkum? I can’t look at her?’ I found the whole thing bizarre,'” he added.
Breen also claimed DeGeneres’ staff laughed so loud at her jokes he had to ask them to quiet down for the recording.
“I have no idea whether she’s a nice person or not, I wouldn’t have a clue,” he said. ‘But I can tell you the people who work with her walked on eggshells the whole time. We’re there to do an interview to promote what she’s doing, but you can’t look at her? Someone get real.”
Brad Garett, Lea Thompson, and more celebrities support claims, fans have mixed reactions
On July 31, Everybody Loves Raymond star, Brad Garrett, tweeted that The Ellen Show‘s mistreatment of its staff and guests is “common knowledge.”
“Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge,” he tweeted.
Garrett, who has been a guest on the show numerous times, was backed by actress, Lea Thompson who tweeted, “True story. It is.”
Fans have mixed reactions to the entire situation with some siding with DeGeneres and others condemning her. However, a lot of Ellen Show fans find irony in celebrities tweeting against DeGeneres.
“Kindness was letting you on the show to promote stuff out of friendship it is not like she needed you the 6 times you appeared. Don’t you just love people who kick others when they are down. If you weren’t the one treated poorly then stop adding to the drama,” one fan commented.
“This is rich coming from you…when I worked at Disneyland in 2007 you came up to my ride (Indiana Jones Adventure) and said “let me though (the exit), I’m a celebrity.” In the most snobbiest tone I’ve ever heard anyone speak,” another shared.
“I may be the minority in this thinking but I don’t believe she treats her on-air guests in a nice light either. The way she takes jabs and shots for comic relief sits uneasy with me a bit,” another said.
“@RealBradGarrett the articles mentioned that you were a guest on her show 6 times. I’m just curious why you would continue to be a guest on the show that many times if all the toxic information was common knowledge,” this fan added.
James Corden tapped to be DeGeneres’ replacement
With all The Ellen Show news spiraling out of control, rumors of DeGeneres’ exit have surfaced with one name tapped to be her replacement: The Late Late Show host, James Corden.
So far, neither Corden nor DeGeneres have responded to the rumors. However, a Reddit AMA hosted by Corden and producers shows there may be another side to his on-air personality, too. The questions for Corden are brutal. But again, nothing has been confirmed on Corden’s behalf.
The news about DeGeneres, Corden, and the future of The Ellen Show is still developing. Only time will tell how it all plays out.
