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'The Hate Went On For A Long Time': Ellen DeGeneres Addresses Toxic Workplace Allegations
Ellen DeGeneres is back in the spotlight as she kicked off her Ellen's Last Stand...Up Tour this week and addressed the controversy that swirled around her talk show in 2020.
Ellen DeGeneres' iconic afternoon talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, ended in May 2022 after nearly two decades of success. The show ended amid accusations of a toxic work environment, including allegations of racism, sexual misconduct, and threats. Variety also reported on crew members' dissatisfaction with the way wages were handled during the COVID-19 pandemic. DeGeneres issued a public apology and the three producers were let go.
However, she doesn’t seem to have lost her sense of humor at all. Kicking off her stand-up tour in West Hollywood on Wednesday with Ellen's Last Stand... Up, DeGeneres, 66, took the stage with a healthy sense of self-deprecation and went about her business in mocking the fall, she clearly does not refrain from addressing the recent events.
Ellen DeGeneres takes the stage again and reflects on the show's controversy
Ellen DeGeneres is back in the spotlight, but this time it's under the bright lights of a comedy stage. DeGeneres kicked off her Ellen's Last Stand...Up Tour this week, and a significant portion of her act addressed the controversy that swirled around her talk show in 2020.
During the comedy set, she interacted with the sold-out crowd and discussed her journey from fame to scandal. According to Rolling Stone, Ellen mentioned, "Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business." She also made a joke, saying, “There’s no mean people in show business,” about the criticism she faced.
The comedian also referenced her show's signature sign-off, "Be kind to one another," implying that even that positive message couldn't shield her from the negativity.
Headlines dubbed her the "most hated person in America," and the constant negativity chipped away at her on-screen image. "The hate went on for a long time," she said, "and I would try to avoid looking at the news."
She quoted one of the headlines that criticized her, "The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind," and remarked how her role had shifted to a one-dimensional persona known for dancing up steps and giving away prizes. Ellen joked about this shift in perception, suggesting that if she had signed off her show with "Go f–k yourself," it might have been less surprising.
The allegations of a toxic work environment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show first surfaced in 2020. Despite continuing to film throughout that year, DeGeneres announced in 2021 that season 19 would be her last. The final episode aired in May 2022.
Ellen DeGeneres on ending her show and workplace toxicity allegations
Ellen DeGeneres appeared on Today with Savannah Guthrie after announcing the end of her long-running daytime talk show to discuss her reasons for stepping down and how allegations of a toxic workplace influenced her decision. DeGeneres described the press cycle surrounding the allegations as “orchestrated” and “misogynistic.”
“I read in the press that there’s a toxic work environment, which I had no idea, never saw anything that would even point to that,” DeGeneres said, expressing surprise at the claims made against her show's work environment.
When asked by Guthrie if she felt "cancelled" by the negative press, DeGeneres stated that she didn't understand why she was targeted for four months straight. "It was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated."
DeGeneres noted that misogyny might have played a role in the way the press portrayed the situation. "I worked really hard on myself. And also, I have to say if nobody else is saying it, it was really interesting because I’m a woman, and it did feel very misogynistic,” she said.
DeGeneres expressed disbelief about the alleged toxic environment, citing the large number of employees and the show's spread across multiple buildings. "Honestly, how could I have known?" she asked. "There are 255 employees, and we're spread across different locations."
She acknowledged that her name being associated with the show meant she bore responsibility for the workplace culture, but she wished someone had informed her about the issues earlier. “It is my name on the show, so clearly it affects me, and I have to be the one to stand up and say, ‘This can’t be tolerated.’ But I do wish somebody would have come to me and said, ‘Hey, something’s going on that you should know about,’” she added.
Ellen DeGeneres admitted to struggling through the final season, even confessing to "crying every day" while filming. She opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the emotional toll and acknowledged the controversy as a challenging period. "Whatever happened during that time," she said, "was obviously very, very difficult, happened for a reason."
The Emmy-winning host referred to the situation as "unfortunate," but ultimately a learning experience. "It is what it is," she stated. "You go through stuff in life and you just keep learning and growing. That's how I have to look at it."
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