Ellen DeGeneres apologizes on air
Ellen DeGeneres used her opening monologue of the new season of her daytime talk show to address allegations of a toxic work environment, apologizing for things “that never should have happened.”
“I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show,” she said in a video posted Monday.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” started its 18th season in Los Angeles with the host on stage for the first time in months after taping from her home during lockdown. There wasn’t a studio audience but a virtual one, with faces beamed in on monitors put in the audience seats.
“We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace and what we want for the future,” she said. “We have made the necessary changes, and today, we are starting a new chapter.”
Three of the show’s producers exited over the summer amid allegations of a dysfunctional workplace that harbored misbehavior, including sexual misconduct and racially insensitive remarks. In her monologue, DeGeneres dryly joked that her summer was “super-terrific.”
The host also addressed the allegations that the off-camera DeGeneres is different than her sunny on-air persona. “The truth is I am that person that you see on TV,” she said.
An internal company investigation of work conditions was prompted by a BuzzFeed News report in July based on 36 interviews with ex-staffers, who complained about or said they witnessed improper and unfair treatment.
“I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected,” DeGeneres said in her monologue.
Famed French actor Lonsdale dies:
Michael Lonsdale, 89, a giant of the silver screen and theater in France who worked with some of the world’s top directors in an acting career that spanned 60 years, died Monday, his agent said.
From his role as villain in the 1979 James Bond film “Moonraker” to that of a French monk in Algeria in the 2011 movie “Of Gods and Men,” Lonsdale acted, often in brilliant second roles, under top directors including Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg, Francois Truffaut and Louis Malle.
The child of a French mother and British father, Lonsdale, with a soft voice, was a man consumed by his art. He made more than
100 films and performed on stage. His final performance was in a short film last year for the Opera of Paris, “Degas et Moi” (Degas and Me).
Lonsdale died peacefully at his Paris home of old age, his agent of 20 years, Olivier Loiseau, said. “It was kind of expected. ... He was tired. His spirit was alive, but his body was tired,” said Loiseau, who recently spoke with Lonsdale by phone.
Lonsdale was a man of faith and played several roles reflecting his Christian beliefs.
Sept. 22 birthdays: Singer Toni Basil is 77. Singer Debby Boone is 64. Singer Joan Jett is 62. Singer Andrea Bocelli is 62. Actor Scott Baio is 60. Actor Bonnie Hunt is 59. Rapper Mystikal is 50. Actor Daniella Alonso is
42. Actor Michael Graziadei is 41. Actor Tatiana Maslany is 35. Actor Tom Felton is 33.