Former employees have alleged the daytime TV icon mistreated her staff.
Earlier this month, Buzzfeed News published an article featuring the experiences of several former employees of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" who alleged they faced a toxic work environment on the show. Now its parent company WarnerMedia is reportedly launching an investigation into the allegations.
"People who work in the entertainment industry and who work in Hollywood have heard rumors for years about what people call a 'toxic work environment,'" Buzzfeed reporter Krystie Lee Yandoli told Inside Edition.
Former staffers who used to work at the show are coming out to share their stories. One makeup artist was quoted as saying that when he tried to make small talk with Ellen, she allegedly said, "Who do you think you are? Don't look at me."
According to stories posted on Twitter, behind the scenes, DeGeneres had a history of sending employees home if she believed they had bad breath. A former staffer on the show wrote, “I saw Ellen in the hallways every day and would say hello and she never once said hello back. She wouldn’t smile. She wouldn’t even acknowledge me at all. For two seasons.”
One Black producer said she was the victim of "microagressions" from senior staff members.
The show's three executive producers are taking the blame for any issues, declaring in a statement, "For the record, the day-to-day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us. 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."
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