Ellen DeGeneres Pens Letter To Staff Amid Workplace Mistreatment Allegations

31 July 2020, 06:55

The host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show addressed allegations that she was mistreating her staff, saying that there will be "change".

Ellen DeGeneres has come under fire from many of the staff on her talkshow, The Ellen DeGeneres, after ex-employees slammed the Finding Nemo star for mistreating them.

In an article from BuzzFeed, several employees claimed that DeGeneres created a toxic workplace, with one saying she left her job because she was fed up about comments over her race.

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Ellen then penned a lengthy letter, which was obtained by Deadline, where she seemingly takes responsibility for the wrongdoings, and claims that there will be a change on the show going forward.

"On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect," said Ellen.

"Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case.

"My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues," continued the talkshow host.

This comes after several ex-employees spoke out about how they were treated whilst working on the show. Some claim they were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days to attend family funerals.

Other staff on The Ellen DeGeneres Show were apparently ordered by their managers not to speak to Ellen directly if they saw her.

However, most of the staff blamed executive producers and other senior managers for the toxicity, as opposed to Ellen, herself, but still stated that she needed to take responsibility.

Ellen continued to say "I'm 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."

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While Warner Bros. is yet to confirm the fate of its staff, it's rumoured that one of the show's executive producers, Ed Glavin - who was the focus of many of the more serious allegations - is going to be relieved of his job.

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Read Ellen's full letter to her staff:

Hey everybody — it's Ellen. On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it's the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.

I could not have the success I've had without all of your contributions. My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done. Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again.

I'm 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. As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or — worse — disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.

It's been way too long, but we're finally having conversations about fairness and justice. We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I'm glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention. I promise to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow. It's important to me and to Warner Bros. that everyone who has something to say can speak up and feels safe doing so.

I am so proud of the work we do and the fun and joy we all help put out in the world. I want everyone at home to love our show and I want everyone who makes it to love working on it. Again, I'm so sorry to anyone who didn't have that experience. If not for COVID, I'd have done this in person, and I can't wait to be back on our stage and see you all then.

Stay safe and healthy.

Love,

Ellen