Ellen Executive Producers Respond to Multiple Allegations of ‘Toxic Work Environment’

Ellen DeGeneres has been facing allegations that her nice demeanor is actually not-so-nice when the cameras stop rolling on her eponymous daytime talk show, but the latest bombshell report from the set doesn’t single her out at all.

In fact, when one current and ten former employees spoke anonymously to Buzzfeed News about their experiences on the show, none of them singled DeGeneres out specifically as being behind any of their negative encounters. TooFab has reached out to DeGeneres’ representatives for comment.

Instead, they talked more about a “toxic work environment” perpetuated by “these three executive producers running the show who are in charge of all these people [and] who make the culture and are putting out this feeling of bullying and being mean,” according to one former employee.

In a joint statement, executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner assured the outlet they are taking the claims very seriously, saying they have “strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment.”

“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.”

“For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us,” the trio continued. “We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better.”

That same anonymous employee said that the attitude they received was that “everybody who works at ‘The Ellen Show’ is lucky to work there: ‘So if you have a problem, you should leave because we’ll hire someone else because everybody wants to work here.'”

The report detailed allegations of favoritism, instances of microaggressions and even staffers getting fired after taking medical or bereavement leave.

One employee said that they were let go after taking a one-month leave following a suicide attempt, being told their position had been eliminated. Another was fired for a series of instances, including a three-week medical leave after a car accident, working remotely for two days to attend a funeral and three days off for another funeral — each leave was reportedly a struggle to obtain.

Allegations related to favoritism included some staffers, who are well-liked by producers, receiving gifts from show’s sponsors, while others are left out.

One Black employee said that she experienced microaggressions over seeking a raise and suggesting diversity training after she experienced multiple instances of unanswered racism. Frustrated, she ultimately walked out of the show and entertainment industry altogether.

“I feel like I’m not alone in this,” she told the outlet. “We all feel this. We’ve been feeling this way, but I’ve been too afraid to say anything because everyone knows what happens when you say something as a Black person. You’re blacklisted.”

“That’s the definition of a toxic work environment, where they make you feel like you’re going insane and then you’re like, no, everything I was feeling was right,” said another former employee. “It was all leading up to this.”

One employee suggested that DeGeneres should get more involved in the day-to-day operations of the show that carries her name. It was also suggested that staffers are told not to talk to her when she is on set, helping to create a divide between her and them.

“If she wants to have her own show and have her name on the show title, she needs to be more involved to see what’s going on,” they said. “I think the executive producers surround her and tell her, ‘Things are going great, everybody’s happy,’ and she just believes that, but it’s her responsibility to go beyond that.”

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