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Where it kicked off - It all started in March of 2020. Comedian Kevin T. Porter called DeGeneres “notoriously one of the meanest people alive” and started a Twitter thread asking people to share “the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean,” promising to donate US$2 to LA Food Bank per story. He gathered around 300 stories.

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Toxic work culture - On July 16, individuals, who remained anonymous out of fear, told Buzzfeed News that they faced microaggressions and racism, were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days, and were subjected to favoritism by executive producers.

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Racist comments -

A Black woman who worked on the show for a year and a half said that a senior-level producer told her and another Black employee, "Oh wow, you both have box braids; I hope we don't get you confused." And at a work party, one of the main writers allegedly told her, "I'm sorry, I only know the names of the white people who work here."

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Racist comments -

When the woman tried to speak up, she was labelled the "PC Police," and when she found out a new hire was making more money for the same job, she asked for a raise and was reprimanded for it by executive producer Ed Glavin. So, she quit.

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Mental health stigma - There were also stories from ex-staffers who had to battle management for medical leave or bereavement days, or whose job was terminated after returning from medical leave following a suicide attempt. Not very "be kind" or "break the stigma" of them…

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Working under threat of fire - The onus of these allegations of toxicity and bullying was largely placed on three of DeGeneres' executive producers, who would reportedly reward those who stayed quiet and punish those who pushed back. They allegedly believed everyone should feel lucky to work there and if they had a problem they were easily replaceable.

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Her executive producers tried to absorb the hit -

Executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner made a joint statement where they said they were taking the allegations seriously and were "heartbroken" to learn about the negative experiences. They took complete responsibility for the allegations, and added that they are committed to doing better.

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Warner Bros. launched an internal investigation - Variety reported a memo was emailed to employees of the show stating that Warner Bros. was interviewing current and former staffers about their experiences.

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Warner Bros. may not be so innocent themselves - A former Warner Bros. employee who worked on the show told Buzzfeed News that the company "turns a blind eye" to the allegations because the series "is a cash cow." Former show staffers also said that senior-level producers pressured them not to go to HR at Warner Bros.

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Additional bad behavior -

A source told the Daily Mail that DeGeneres allegedly "hates coming to work," but that she has been turning on the niceness for years, suggesting she has been "staying for the money and celebrity it affords her."

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Addressing allegations - In a letter to her staff on July 30, DeGeneres broke her silence on the complaints. She said she was "sorry" and promised changes would be made, though she didn't specify what.

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Addressing allegations -

"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," DeGeneres added, reinforcing the notion that it was all on the people who worked under her. Executive producer Ed Glavin was reportedly let go.

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Celebrities speaking out -

'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Brad Garrett, who appeared on 'Ellen' six times between 2004 and 2007, called the host out on Twitter. "Sorry but it comes from the top ⁦@TheEllenShow," he wrote. "Know more than one who were treated horribly by her.⁩ Common knowledge." 'Back to the Future' star Lea Thompson replied to Garrett on Twitter with, "True story. It is."

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Celebrities speaking out -

Now-infamous celebrity manager Scooter Braun came to DeGeneres' defense, writing, "People love to take shots at people. They love to see people fall," and added that the host is a "kind, thoughtful, courageous human being who stands for what is right." Interestingly, none of her other A-lister friends had come forward in July.

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On July 30, more allegations came - Hours after releasing her apology memo to staff, BuzzFeed News reported that they spoke with dozens of her former employees and revealed fresh allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment, and assault.

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Allegations against Ed Glavin -

Five former staffers, all anonymous out of fear of retribution, said Glavin touched them in creepy ways, and dozens confirmed he "had a reputation for being handsy with women."

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Allegations against Kevin Leman -

The sexual misconduct allegations against the show's head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman (R) are lengthy, including requesting sex from an employee, inappropriately touching more than one production assistant, and making vulgar, sexually explicit comments in the office.

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Leman denied it all -

He added in his statement, "I'm horrified that some of my attempts at humor may have caused offense."

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Other bizarre demands - On July 29, former producer of Australia's 'Today' show Neil Breen claimed on radio station 4BC that, during DeGeneres' 2013 appearance on the program, her producers pulled him and his staff aside and said, "No one is to talk to Ellen. You don't talk to her, you don't approach her, you don't look at her."

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Other bizarre demands -

There are many other accounts of similar stories alleging that DeGeneres does not want anyone to look at her, much less talk to her.

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Mistreatment of crew during coronavirus - More than 30 members of the core filming crew on the show were outraged over their treatment from producers amid the coronavirus pandemic, Variety reported in April. For a month, they were given no written communication about the status of their working hours or pay.

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Mistreatment of crew during coronavirus - There were no basic inquiries about their mental and physical health either, which was especially harsh as many of the crew have been with DeGeneres since the taping of the pilot. When production executives finally did reach out, nearly all crew members were told to brace for a 60% reduction in pay, even as the show continued to air.

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Mistreatment of crew during coronavirus -

To add insult to injury, the crew soon found out via social media that the show hired an outside, non-union tech company with the same skills they already had to help DeGeneres tape remotely from her home in California.

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Mistreatment of crew during coronavirus -

While the crew was given reduced compensation, staff on other shows were still paid in full. Jimmy Kimmel, whose net worth is estimated at US$45 million, even paid his crew out of pocket. DeGeneres, meanwhile, earns more than US$50 million per year and has a reported net worth of US$330 million.

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"Insensitive" and "out of touch" -

When the talk show host joked that quarantine for her was "like being in jail," people were quick to point out that her lavish mansion was nothing like a prison, especially since real inmates were at increased risk of coronavirus.

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She's been called a hypocrite before -

DeGeneres was spotted sitting and laughing with former US President George Bush at a football game in 2019, leading many to criticize the openly gay liberal for being friends with a Republican who had opposed gay marriage while in office.

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She's been called a hypocrite before -

DeGeneres later defended her friendship with the man criticized for leading the country into war with Iraq and Afghanistan, saying "I'm friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs I have."

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She's been called a hypocrite before - In the video explanation posted by DeGeneres on Twitter, she said her "be kind" philosophy applies to everyone including those who don't agree with you, but she also compared having different beliefs on gay rights to having different beliefs on whether people should wear fur.

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Hypocrisy with Caitlyn Jenner -

PageSix reports that DeGeneres banned Caitlyn Jenner after she came on and said that though she's trans, she still wasn't comfortable with gay marriage because of her political and religious beliefs.

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Some irony to top it all off -

In advance of her 2018 standup special 'Relatable,' the New York Times released a profile on her called, 'Ellen DeGeneres Is Not as Nice as You Think,' in which she said she felt boxed in by her reputation for kindness and was considering leaving daytime TV.

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Portia de Rossi broke her silence -

After much silence from the stars, Portia de Rossi, DeGeneres’ wife, shared a photo on Instagram on August 3 that said "I Stand By Ellen" on it. She captioned the post: "To all our fans....we see you. Thank you for your support."

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Katy Perry chimed in -

After being called out, along with DeGeneres’ other silent friends, by Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras on August 2, Perry tweeted that, speaking solely from her own experience, she’s only had positive takeaways from the show.

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Kevin Hart spoke up -

The comedian shared a photo from one of his visits to the show on Instagram on August 4, and wrote, “I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she's one of the dopest people on the f****** planet,” adding that she treated him and his family with love and respect, and criticizing the Internet’s addiction to negativity.

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Other stars showed support -

Diane Keaton shared a photo on August 4 and wrote about how she enjoyed her visits to the show, and praising DeGeneres for giving back to people “including me.” Ashton Kutcher tweeted the same day that DeGeneres “never pandered to celebrity.” Jay Leno tweeted, “I don’t discard a 40-year friendship on hearsay.” Octavia Spencer posted in support but edited the caption to include that the employees must be heard.

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Criticism of celebrity support -

Every time a celebrity announced their support online, they were met with a wave of backlash from people who pointed out that the matter at hand is not how celebrities are treated on the show, but rather unprivileged staffers' treatment behind the scenes.

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Three producers were let go -

Producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman officially left the show, while Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner remained. Leman’s attorney said he was “devastated by being scapegoated.” DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss was promoted to co-executive producer.

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DeGeneres said she’s an introvert -

On an all-staff Zoom call, DeGeneres announced the staffing changes, apologizing again, and adding that she is an introvert who likes to have her own space, which may have led to staffers believing she wasn't nice.

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Making changes -

Variety reported that the measures DeGeneres took to improve working conditions included: five additional paid days off, birthdays off, and paid time off for staffers to attend to personal matters such as family issues, doctor appointments, etc.

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Returning for season 18 -

When the show returned for season 18 on September 21, the host addressed her fans about the controversy. She apologized and took responsibility for the toxic workplace culture during her opening monologue. "We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter," she said. The opening episode was highly viewed, but overall the show's ratings dropped following the scandal.

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The end of an era -

In May, DeGeneres revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she was planning to make season 19 of her talk show the last one.

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Why then? -

DeGeneres said that she had been considering the right moment to exit the show for several years, and that the decision ultimately came down to her need for a new challenge. When asked if the scandal contributed to the decision, DeGeneres said that it didn’t. She said that if she had wanted to quit the show because of the allegations, then she wouldn’t have returned for season 18.

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Ellen says goodbye -

In the same interview DeGeneres expressed the hurt and shock she felt as the allegations rolled out and the media came for her. She implied that the allegations about her behavior had been false or exaggerated. “I’m not a scary person. I’m really easy to talk to.” Many stated from the beginning that the only way for DeGeneres to heal her personal brand was to end the show. In 2024, she embarked on a farewell stand-up tour at 66 years of age, and announced her intention to retire from the entertainment industry for good. 

See also: Are these Hollywood's most hypocritical celebs?

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