NOT FUNNY ANYMORE
The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been a staple of daytime television since 2003, but in recent months DeGeneres has faced allegations of a toxic and hostile workplace culture under her watch.
So last week the 62-year-old longtime comedian, actor and host opened the 18th season of her talk show with an apology that addressed the allegations. This was considered the first time the television programme openly spoke about the controversy.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been criticised as having a working environment where sexual misconduct, racism and intimidation from the show’s management took place.
In July, Warner Media started an investigation into the workplace environment of The Ellen DeGeneres Show where current and former staff members were interviewed about their experiences on the programme.
The following month, DeGeneres sent an emotional message to the staff saying she was taking steps to improve the culture on set. In mid-August, three of the programme’s high-level producers were let go.
DeGeneres is one of the wealthiest performers in television. In 1997, she came out as a lesbian and since 2004, she has been in a relationship with Australian-American businesswoman Portia de Rossi.