Former Employees Say The Ellen DeGeneres Show Is a Toxic Workplace (https://www.them.us/story/former-employees-say-ellen-degeneres-show-toxic-workplace?utm_campaign=likeshopme&client_service_id=31178&utm_social_type=owned&utm_brand=them&service_user_id=1.78e+16&utm_content=instagram-bio-link&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&client_service_name=them.&supported_service_name=instagram_publishing)
Staff members detailed racism, fear, and intimidation experienced at the hands of Ellen and show executives for Buzzfeed.
https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/1283922202849468416
Ellen DeGeneres has come a long way since the 1997 Time magazine cover where she famously declared "Yep, I'm gay." It was an unprecedented moment of mainstream queer visibility for a celebrity of her stature, and one that resulted in a swift backlash that sidelined her career for years. But when she was named to the helm of her own talk show in 2003, Ellen not only made history as one of few openly lesbian TV hosts, but proceeded to make an ascendant comeback, with audiences flocking to her upbeat, positive program and quirky dance numbers.
She has since built an empire, with a show that's aired for nearly 17 years and earned more than five dozen Daytime Emmy Awards, a bevy of emotional giveaways to people in need, and spin-off programs such as "Ellen's Game of Games."
Yet today, Ellen faces accusations of fostering a toxic and abusive workplace environment, according to nearly a dozen current and former employees who spoke to Buzzfeed as part of an investigation. They say Ellen and other show executives should take accountability for harm her employees have experienced and be more responsible for an internal setting that reflects the host's "be kind" motto.
"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," one former employee told BuzzFeed. "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."
One former employee, a Black woman, said she was reprimanded by one of the executive producers because she suggested that show employees should receive diversity and inclusion training. She also faced rebuke for objecting to segments that used the term "spirit animal," which is often misappropriated from Indigenous culture and spirituality, and for having asked for a raise, citing that a new hire made double for doing the same job despite her many years of experience.
"Whenever I brought up an issue to my white male boss, he would bring up some random story about some random Black friend that he had and how they managed to get over stuff," she told BuzzFeed. "He would use his Black friend as some way to say, 'I understand your struggle.' But it was all performative bullshit."
Other employees allegedly walked off the job after becoming exasperated with comments about race, were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days to attend family funerals, and were told by managers not to speak to DeGeneres, even if she was seen around the office.
In one instance, a former employee said they took leave for a month following a suicide attempt to seek treatment at a mental health facility. When the employee came back to work, they were informed that the job had been eliminated.
Another said they were disciplined for creating a GoFundMe crowdfunding effort for healthcare costs that the company's medical insurance didn't cover. The employee was told to close the fundraiser because there were concerns that it could affect DeGeneres's image.
"They discovered my fundraiser, then got mad at me," said the employee, whose story was confirmed to BuzzFeed by four other employees. The employee continued, "They were more concerned about Ellen's brand instead of helping me out."
In a statement to BuzzFeed, the show's executive producers said they take all of the allegations "very seriously" and are committed to doing better.
"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," said executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner. "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."
I believe it
People have been spilling tea about Ellen allegedly being a stone cold bitch behind the scenes for years
As they, where there's smoke there's fire....
Everyone can't be lying
Everyone's a damn victim
Its Hollywood, it's cut throat
if we're just talking about "being nice", there's no way in hell anyone can be kind and friendly to thousands of people they interact with on a weekly/monthly basis, ESPECIALLY those that have built up their entire hollywood image on being the "nice guy", like ellen
now the racism accusations i could totally imagine from that white washed happy clappy show
So it sounds like the producers are the issue and not Ellen herself
I can believe that
Not wanting to take an excessive time off work and being pissed you're fired when you came back. :dead:
Oh girl.
Maybe worse shit happened that they're leaving out, but I'm not really seeing it here.
:disgusted:
WHEN ELLEN TOLD OPRAH SHE WANTED TO BE ON THE COVER OF O MAGAZINE JUST BECAUSE SHE SAW MICHELLE OBAMA ON THERE
I KNEW SHE WAS A RACIST PRIVILEGED TWAT
THATS THE FIRST LADY BITCH
HOW DO YOU COMPARE
THE RACISM JUMPED OWT
Quote from: Lew Scherzinger Norwood on July 22, 2020, 03:15:08 PM
WHEN ELLEN TOLD OPRAH SHE WANTED TO BE ON THE COVER OF O MAGAZINE JUST BECAUSE SHE SAW MICHELLE OBAMA ON THERE
I KNEW SHE WAS A RACIST PRIVILEGED TWAT
THATS THE FIRST LADY BITCH
HOW DO YOU COMPARE
THE RACISM JUMPED OWT
now see
this entitled cracker carpet munching ho
I don't care I feel like BASHING this racist faggette cunt.
I never did care for her sarcastic personality
That video of her trying to coerce and flat out force Mariah to drink alcohol early in her pregnancy was particularly disgusting
I always scream when people act surprised that Ellen is a bitch. vgvsvd she's a cynical person sarcastic bitch ON screen. NNmemedk
this is the same woman that forced mariah to announce her risky pregnancy on air :dead:
Quote from: Kaeli. on July 23, 2020, 08:48:00 AM
I always scream when people act surprised that Ellen is a bitch. vgvsvd she's a cynical person sarcastic bitch ON screen. NNmemedk
this is the same woman that forced mariah to announce her risky pregnancy on air :dead:
Yeah she seems very nasty
Or "nice nasty" and i already know how i feel about people like that. Fucking gross