WarnerMedia reportedly launches an internal investigation of Ellen DeGeneres Show's workplace
Aux Features Ellen DeGeneres
While long-running daytime talk series The Ellen DeGeneres Show has maintained a public reputation of kindness and wholesome fun, many former employees and at least one guest have come forward over the past year with claims of damaging behavior at the hands of both the show’s superstar host and her managing staff. Per an exclusive report from Variety, separate waves of complaints—which manifested largely online before Buzzfeed released an investigative report weeks ago—have led to WarnerMedia launching an internal investigation.
Variety reports that executives from producer Telepictures and distributor Warner Bros. Television informed staffers last week that they have contacted WarnerMedia’s employee relations group and a third party firm that will “interview current and former staffers about their experiences on set.” Prior to the start of the pandemic, DeGeneres has weathered a significant amount of bad press, from the alleged poor treatment of guest and makeup expert Nikkie de Jager to her unsavory handling of her crew’s transition from studio to remote production, which led to the host outsourcing some of the show’s production work and leaving her loyal employees with significantly slashed incomes. Though Warner Bros. Television has not commented on the investigation, sources told Variety that the memo sourced the Buzzfeed report—which spoke of reportedly racist conduct and microaggressions lobbed by the show’s producers—as one of the major catalysts for the in-depth investigation.
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I remember when she was the snarky receptionist on Duet. Even then, I said to myself, “I bet she’s a mean boss who yells at her employees. I hope she never gets her own talk show and also we should invest in repairing the levee systems in New Orleans before a large hurricane devastates the region and leaves thousands homeless.” You guys remember Duet?
F**k Duet! “Open House” FTW!Also… it’s been like 30 years but i seem to recall she was more absent-mined than snarky?
This is possible. I was 8. The idea that I was even watching a television network that didn’t begin broadcasting until 8pm on a school night is pretty fantastic.
I thought so, but actually I was thinking of that karaoke movie “Duets” where “Holy shit, Paul Giamatti can SING?”
Did you also one day ponder how aircraft could do a lot of damage to the World Trade Center?
Of course not. It was the 80s. Nobody believed jet fuel would melt steel beams. It was a more innocent time.
I remember Duet! I loved her miserable attitude!I had such a crush on her! Who knew back then! I sure didn’t! Exclamation point.
Sure. That Mary Page Keller was a real cutie.
I genuinely believed it was Elizabeth Perkins this entire time.
I work in TV, and one of the open secrets is that “Ellen” is a terrible show to work for, both in pay and in how the show – and Ellen herself – treats the workers. There’s a website called Staff Me Up that handles a lot of freelance hires for the industry. About every other month pre-COVID you would see an ad for Production Assistants and Associate Producers for the show, because it has such a notoriously high degree of employee turnover, even though people are hired full-time (listings are either FT or specify the term in weeks/months). The show is rarely if ever named directly – most ads will use buzzwords and phrases to maintain plausible deniability, though anyone in the biz can put two and two together that “long-running, successful network daytime talk show” filming on “studio soundstage in Burbank” means “Ellen” – but it’s become a running gag whenever the ads pop up again, and more seasoned people avoid even applying because they know the nightmare they’re in for if they get hired, to say nothing of the non-competitive wages.
Came here for this, this is all I’ve ever heard about working that show.
I think Comedy Bang Bang has occasionally made jokes about how it’s weird that everyone knows that Ellen is horrible to work for but for some reason nobody actually makes formal accusations about it.
The silence is probably due to their hiring practices. People still new to the industry haven’t built up a strong enough reputation to risk speaking up. People secure in their ability to find work are more comfortable talking about bad experiences.
It’s probably a great resume stuffer, so people suck it up and go in knowing what to expect, notch the experience, then move on.
“Plausible deniability” lolHow many people said, “I’m going to go apply for this mysterious show that definitely-isn’t-Ellen”, and then once they arrive and find out it is, just decide “I don’t want to work in this hell hole, but I might as well now that I’m here”? Of course those just breaking in to the industry, or otherwise struggling for work, would definitely do so, I suppose. I’m sure the producers are more than ready to exploit the more vulnerable people.
A lot of shows don’t name themselves for this same reason, I should have been more clear on that front. There’s a culture of NDAs and confidentiality throughout the industry, so it’s very common for sites like SMU and others to post ads that don’t name the program. It’s often more rare for a show to reveal itself than not. “Ellen” is just one of those shows that EVERYONE knows what it is no matter what euphemisms they use to try to obfuscate.But yeah, most of the people they hire are either newbies who don’t know what goes on or those desperate enough to try to put it aside and earn a paycheck until a better opportunity comes along. I’ve applied there myself when I was struggling.
I hope you are not struggling too much in these trying times, my friend. Best wishes.
I’m doing okay. Oddly enough this might turn into my most successful year out here to date. I won’t question it, and I’m grateful for it. Much of the industry is finding ways to stay safe and keep their workers safe and earning a living wage. I’m lucky enough to be a part of that. Fingers are perpetually crossed.
She has occasionally done a role that I enjoyed (mainly Dory in the Finding Nemo movies and her appearance in that really dated Epcot attraction that closed a couple years ago), but I’ve just always gotten really rotten vibes from her talk show whenever I was nearby when my mom was watching it growing up. Something just felt forced and off. Then I recently saw that clip where she made fun of a young adult for not knowing how to use a rotary phone. Like, why would a twenty year old know how to use a rotary phone? They were mostly phased out before we were born. I’m pretty sure that she doesn’t know how to operate a crank-start car, that’s about the same level of obsolescence.When all the stuff came out about her, I can’t say that I was surprised, despite never hearing anything prior.
I too work in television and spent many a year as a PA. For those who who aren’t in the business: generally if you have to advertise to find production assistants, there is a problem on the show.
The struggling to get ahead or get a foot in the door network is super strong in the industry – everyone knows someone who needs a job. It’s not hard to fill a vacancy by word of mouth on a quality production, on a terrible one however…
A lot of the listings on SMU are jobs that are already filled by WOM anyway, but the production companies are required by law to publicly list a certain percentage of their openings. It’s super frustrating for people like me who are admittedly lacking in the “networking” department for whatever reason (me because I’m introverted and very much NOT a social butterfly, and I have problems being fake with people when everyone knows all we’re doing is beating around the bush about asking for a job). But yeah, for a good show, you’ll have people clamoring to get in the door, and a name drop from the right person at the right time will set you for a while. When you constantly have to keep going to the SMU well though (or EntertainmentCareers, Craigslist, Indeed, etc.), that tells you something’s fishy in the production.
Ellen seems to be the female equivalent of the ‘nice guy who tells people he’s a nice guy.’ Which is sad! I wish she was actually the funny human that she presents as, as opposed to an old-timey Hollywood nightmare.
For all her faults, you still felt like Rosie O’Donnell was still…. Rosie. Nothing about her time on The View or any interviews or anything makes her talk show feel less authentic.
The old rule of thumb is, if someone has to say outloud I’m nice, they probably aren’t.
She’s a comedian? Wow. I thought she was a Zeitgeist Evangelist … Phew – I was so enlightened by her giveaways and sponsors, I was ready to donate. And buy that toaster her sponsor recommends. To, you know, save my identity/soul …
She does dress like someone about to ask for seed donations so Jesus fixes all my problems.
The few times I have watched segments of her show, she seemed, Idk…. dismissive of many of her guest’s sense of humor, their standing as A-listers, their ideas about the industry? Just not as chirpy and authentically curious as she seemed to be in the early days. A bit contemptuous.
I didn’t think her recent foray back into stand up was particularly funny. She tried to be conscious of coming from a place of extreme wealth, but it didn’t really gel.
What’s really remarkable to me about this string of Ellen-related stories is that, as far as I can tell, Ellen hasn’t issued a statement about any of it. The Variety report linked above included an “oh we’re shocked, shocked we tell you, that anyone has had a bad experience on the show” quote from the producers, but not a word from the host. I know she’s safe in her mansion, locked far away from hoi polloi, but does she not employ a publicist whose job it is to remind her that it’s in her interest to look humane and concerned at moments like this?
This is what has been a dead giveaway for me. I have no horse in this race, but every time I see a story about her, I think her lack of response is basically agreeing with whatever statement is out there.
But she empowered me with laundry detergent commercials. How am I supposed to feel clean, now?
She’d be well aware of the Streisand Effect. Directly addressing the stories wouldn’t work in her favour at all.
Honestly, if they were concerned about it, they would have done something to change the backstage culture of the show long before now. The problem is they’ve gotten away with it for so long that they don’t think they’ll face any real consequences.
As someone who’s worked for an abusive employer, likely Warner told her not to say anything. They’ll “investigate”, find nothing and it will all be over with. The little people being abused don’t have the funds or the sources to sue.
There’s no upside here. If she acknowledges it then she’ll be expected to actually do something while taking a public beating. Your typical half-assed apology will get her pilloried like everyone else who issues those mealy-mouthed statements. So she’s maintaining distance from the whole thing and letting underlings take the heat.
I’ve been over her for a long time now and her attitude in certain situations left me cold…First she became a CoverGirl, which uses animal testing, while she’s a vegan (or was, I believe). I’m a vegan but even if you’re not the hypocrisy and lack of principles is disturbing.Then, suddenly she apparently spoke for all us queer folk by forgiving Kevin Hart for his blatant homophobia – without him ever showing true regret and making a proper apology (and he literally said he’d beat up his son if he was gay – it was not merely an off colour remark).And finally, she’s besties with W, a man who rode his way into the White House by putting marriage equality on the ballot in various places and pandering to the evangelicals (let alone all the other things he got quite wrong).Ellen ain’t no darling. It’s a damn shame as her initial coming out was a very big deal and truly helped change the tide when it comes to LGBTQ* acceptance, and she did so at great personal risk (and did face heavy consequences for at least a few years).
Let’s not forget the dog she adopted from an organization and then gave away to someone after signing docs saying she would return the dog to the organization if it didn’t work out. She even cried over that one. NEVER give a dog away that you’ve adopted. If it doesn’t work out, take it back to organization you got it from.
Right. That one happened too, had forgotten about it.It all has this veneer of doing something good but when you start to dissect it (sadly, few people do) the story really becomes something quite different.I bet Dory secretly is a piranha in royal blue tang makeup.
Eh, gotta disagree on your last point. Her sexual orientation was the worst-kept secret in entertainment. She just made it official, and was mostly met with shrugs.
An open secret is something different than a public acknowledgement though, especially when it comes to a queer identity back in the 90’s. The open secret didn’t get her show cancelled, nor did it abruptly put a halt to any new offers. She really was a persona non grata for some years after publicly coming out.It was a very big deal and took a lot of courage, Ellen does deserve to be recognised for that. It doesn’t excuse her later behaviour though.
Ellen likes to scare people by hiding them in garbage bins and having them jump out but she totally seems like the kind of person who, if you did that to her, she’d never forgive you.
A third party helping is a good thing.So HOPEFULLY there’s no bullshit and politicking to keep Ellen from being found out as a monster.
Nah, other abusive employer have third parties too. They are paid by the employer and have the employers interests in mind. It just looks good to imply someone one who doesn’t work for the employer is ‘objectively’ looking into it.
Oh my, so amusing watching the richie riches getting the prod. Next thing we’ll find out is that Taylor Swift and Chrissy Teigan let Trumpsters manage their fortunes.
I remember when one of my close friends from high school moved out to LA and had his own Ellen horror stories pretty quickly. I always kinda wondered if it was an isolated indecent, and all this playing out has definitely proved it wasn’t.
I’m guessing you didn’t mean to write “isolated indecent” but I like it anyway.
Hah, I totally didn’t!
Has Ellen addressed this on her show? The more she ignores it the more guilty she seems…
I can see her just packing it in and closing down the show. I think she was on the fence to extending her run before she decided to do a few more years. She doesn’t need to do that show. She has enough money to sit back and do nothing for the rest of their lives. Not that she will. She can probably do the game show gig for a few more years and I suppose there will be award shows again. I can also see her doing a show that cherry picks the internet for heartwarming stories and gives people checks and cars. I think its the only part of her talk show that she really likes.
If the investigation is legitimate and turns up anything, her reputation could suffer including all the brands she’s the spokesperson for and her own brand. She won’t continue to earn money that way and she won’t have a show.
It only sucks because Ellen’s brand is that she is a nice person. Since, in fact, that is nothing but a lie, it means that most of what she stands for is also suspect of being the product of lies. That said, I hope she reaps as she sows. She became the media face of homosexuality because she finally stated the obvious on her show, after leading up to it with a zillion coy references, all to get eyeballs for the show and the show’s sponsor’s ads. But she ended up cozying up to those who are not allies (nor will they ever be) of the LGBTQ community. She has, at least in my opinion, done nothing positive for the queer community overall, just giving us enough lip service to keep us kissing her ass. She reminds me of my entitled gay Republican friends, who don’t realize that their chosen tribe (the GOPers) may tolerate them, but they certainly don’t want others of their kind around. “You know, Ellen, you are the good type…”, just like any other minority in their circle. A token. Nothing more, nothing less.
I swore this was an article about Odo from DS9 at first.
I’ll play devil’s advocate.The alleged poor treatment notwithstanding, she is being criticized for essentially adapting to current covid times via outsourcing and cutting pay for employees who are ostensibly doing far less anyway, and should be happy to have jobs?