Over the past few weeks, dozens of current and former employees have come forward to accuse Ellen DeGeneres of allowing a toxic work environment on the set of her popular daytime talk show. Now, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has made its first big move in response by firing three of the show’s top producers.
'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' has fired three top producers following an investigation into claims of a toxic workplace – Story to come
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 17, 2020
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Fires Three Producers
Variety reported that “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” fired executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman along with co-executive producer Jonathan Norman.
Ellen DeGeneres' show fires 3 top producers following 'toxic' workplace scandal https://t.co/NXS2uISJTj
— The Sun Showbiz (@TheSunShowbiz) August 18, 2020
The firings were confirmed by a spokesman for Warner Bros., who said that the three had “parted ways” with the talk show.
Staying on with Ellen as executive producers will be Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Derek Westervelt, who have all been with the show since it debuted in 2003.
Ellen’s longtime resident DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss has also been elevated to be a co-executive producer of the show, seemingly taking Norman’s place.
After three senior producers are fired, Ellen DeGeneres promotes show DJ and sidekick “tWitch”, Stephen Boss, to Co-Executive Producer. pic.twitter.com/TTGBWO87vL
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) August 18, 2020
Boss was one of the few staffers who refrained from bashing DeGeneres – unlike former DJ and hype man DJ Tony, confirmed “the toxicity of the environment”.
Backstory: Ellen DeGeneres Former DJ Backs Up Show’s ‘Toxicity’ Claims As Its Ratings Plummet
In fact, last week, at the height of this scandal, Boss told US Weekly that “obviously there’s some things to address, but from my standpoint and from countless others, there’s been love. I’ll just leave it at that until there’s a time where we can address more publicly.”
Ellen DeGeneres Breaks Down
The carnage was revealed to over 200 staffers on Monday in a video conference call with Ellen DeGeneres herself.
Multiple sources reported that, during the staff call, Ellen broke down while talking about reading the various allegations of racism, intimidation, and sexual misconduct on the set of the show. She called the experience “heartbreaking.”
Ellen reportedly also told staffers that she is “not perfect”. And that she has come to realize that in an attempt for the show to run as a “well-oiled machine”, sometimes leaders were not as sensitive to “human beings” as they should have been.
However, the Emmy-winning host did deny some of the claims. Including a persistent rumor that show staffers were told never to approach her, or even to look her in the eye.
She said that this rumor was “crazy” and “not true”. Although Ellen did also admit that she would describe herself as an “introvert.”
RELATED: Ellen DeGeneres Scandal Hits New Level With Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Shutting Down Show Rumors
Ellen DeGeneres later shot down rumors that her talk show would be ending, saying that she is “proud” of the show’s success, and that it would “come back strong” next month.
“This will be the best season we’ve ever had,” the host added.
The firings and trouble at “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” follow other big-name shut downs across the entertainment and talk show industry.
Jimmy Kimmel is on hiatus after he got took major heat for doing blackface. While announcing his hiatus, Kimmel said, “There’s nothing wrong, I’m healthy, my family’s healthy, I just need a couple of months off.”
Oprah Winfrey’s magazine recently announced plans to shut down their print operations, starting in 2021.
Popular star Nick Cannon’s upcoming show was postponed after the bizarre, racist comments he made on his podcast.
While COVID-19 has certainly caused disruption in entertainment this year, Ellen and at least a few others are victims of their own actions.