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Home / Entertainment

Ellen DeGeneres says she will address fans on talk show over toxic workplace culture

By Lexie Cartwright
news.com.au·
24 Aug, 2020 08:35 PM3 mins to read

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Ex-producer Hedda Muskat revealed to ZM’s Fletch, Vaughan and Megan that Ellen was well aware of what was going on behind the scenes and fostered the ‘culture of fear.’ Video / ZM

Ellen DeGeneres has commented on the future of her talk show, saying she will be addressing her fans over toxic workplace allegations.

The 62-year-old was seen leaving a restaurant in California where she was asked by a paparazzi what her show would look like following the sacking of her three top producers, Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman.

"I will be talking to my fans," she said in the video, obtained by The Daily Mail.

DeGeneres has been on a damage control mission following an explosive report in which former and current employees came forward to speak about the allegedly toxic environment behind the scenes of the show.

Under siege host Ellen DeGeneres has said she will address fans about the toxic workplace culture engulfing her long-running show. Photo / Getty Images
Under siege host Ellen DeGeneres has said she will address fans about the toxic workplace culture engulfing her long-running show. Photo / Getty Images
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Rumours had swirled for some time about the culture behind the scenes on The Ellen Show, but were laid bare for the first time in a recent Buzzfeed report, which collated the claims of misconduct and harassment from a number of current and former employees.

According to The Independent, in an email sent to staff last Thursday, the company said that while not all anonymous allegations had been verified, early investigations had already found some to be true.

"We are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show's day-to-day management," the statement read.

A WarnerMedia internal investigation is ongoing.

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It comes after Channel 9 pulled The Ellen DeGeneres Show from its schedule locally.

The network, which was airing repeats of the talk show from noon each day, has replaced it with Desperate Housewives.

"We are resting Ellen repeats on Nine and have replaced with Desperate Housewives," a spokesperson confirmed to news.com.au.

However, the spokesperson denied the show had been "axed".

"Nine haven't axed anything – we have been playing repeats on Nine which will continue on 9Gem. Discussions are ongoing regarding the new series."

Earlier this month, show sources told the Daily Mail that DeGeneres was "ultimately" at fault for the workplace's reportedly toxic culture.

"The truth is she knew what was going on; it's her show. The buck stops with her. She can blame every executive under the sun – but Ellen is ultimately the one to blame."

Staff at her show also hit back at the apology letter she sent out last month, branding her a "phony" and claiming anyone who complained to her about the ongoing issues "would've been fired".

"Don't think for a minute anything she has said in that apology means anything. She created and then enabled this toxic culture to go on for so long," one staffer said.

"If anyone had come to her or those three (executive producers) to complain, they would've been fired."

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"Inside Telepictures we've had enough of her. She is a phony who does not practice what she preaches," another source told Daily Mail.

"The behaviour of her show executives has been appalling, but (Ellen) is no better. In fact, she is the worst. It's outrageous that she is trying to pretend that this is all a shock to her. The fish rots from the head, and Ellen is the head."

The insider went on to claim that DeGeneres "hates coming to work", "struggles to be nice to people" and has "utter contempt for her audience".

"She has been phoning it in for so long, and only staying for the money and celebrity it affords her," the source said.

"We've dealt with her BS for so many years. She's not innocent at all, she's not nice and the show is not filled with happiness."

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