Ellen DeGeneres' Toxic Workplace Scandal: A Look Back at What Went Wrong

Since starting her talk show, Ellen has this persona of someone who is always happy and friendly, and she joked about this in her Netflix stand-up special Relatable. In the special she joked -- likely with some truth behind it -- that because of her positive, always happy persona, she's not able to be a human and do something negative or slightly rude, like honking a car. "I can never do anything unkind ever again," she said in the special.

Dakota Johnson was a guest on Ellen's talk show on November 27, 2019, and the interview got really awkward ... really fast. The interview felt really contentious as Dakota talked about her 30th birthday party, and Ellen joked asking why she wasn't invited. "Actually, no, that's not the truth, Ellen," Dakota hit back with, saying that she was definitely invited. Ellen ended up asking a producer who is off camera if she was invited, and the producer confirmed it. The interview was awkward, and fans noticed, too.

One of the biggest hints that maybe Ellen wasn't as friendly as she makes herself seem on television came when a Twitter thread popped up accusing her of being "notoriously one of the meanest people alive." Comedian Kevin Porter encouraged others to share their stories of Ellen and the times she wasn't living up to her kindness mantra. The Twitter thread went viral and received thousands of reply comments.

It's hard to tell exactly which came first: the tweet thread by Kevin Porter, or YouTuber NikkieTutorials -- real name Nikkie de Jager -- who was a guest on Ellen's talk show to talk about her own coming out video. After her appearance, Nikkie appeared on another talk show in the Netherlands called De Wereld Draait Door where she was asked about Ellen and her appearance on the show. Nikkie said to the host, "It's really nice that you came over and said hello to me ... She didn't." It was one of the first times someone with a large platform spoke out.

People took the opportunity Kevin Porter gave to share stories of Ellen in real life, and the stories people shared saying they were real, shocked people. "I worked @RealFoodDaily, served her & Porsha at brunch," one Twitter user wrote. "She wrote a letter to the owner & complained about my chipped nail polish (not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand). I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morn, almost got me fired."

Another person tweeted their story, saying they had worked at a studio lot near where Ellen films her show. "Was working on a show @ WB that was next to her stage," another Twitter user said. "Was our showrunner's 50th Bday. Caterer grilling steaks outside for special fancy lunch. Ellen sent someone over to demand they stop, as she doesn't eat meat. She's the worst."

It really felt that each story that was coming out about Ellen was worse than the last.

The health crisis hit, and it impacted everyone's lives -- including Ellen. However, during an episode of her talk show that was being filmed in her home due to isolation, Ellen made a comment that angered her fans and critics. 

"One thing that I've learned from being in quarantine is that people -- this is like being in jail, is what it is," Ellen said. While it's true that she wasn't able to leave her home, the criticism came because she lives in more comfort than most Americans.

Twitter took note of Ellen's comment regarding her home feeling like a prison, and it set people off. She was accused of not "feeling the room" and taking note that yes, while she's stuck in her four walls, her home is far larger than most with far more amenities. "Ellen DeGeneres Comparing Isolation in Her Mansion to 'Jail,'" one person tweeted. "Guess her designer clothes are her jumpsuit huh." Another said, "People are literally dying in jail from COVID-19 while Ellen is out here making jokes about it."

In early March, Ellen tweeted that she was going to film the show without a studio audience to help keep the staff safe. As things with the health crisis changed, the production of the show was moved to Ellen's home. Variety published a report that her staff were furious. According to the report, the stage crew for her show "consisting of more than 30 employees," were not given any information about their working hours or pay. In fact, reportedly, no one asked if they were all doing OK.

When Ellen's show moved to her home to be produced remotely, staff members -- who typically work on the studio show -- found out via social media that the show was moved to Ellen's home ... and the company used an outside production house. 

This left most of her unionized staff without any answers about their jobs, many of whom were on reduced hours. Despite all this, Ellen told fans on the show that she had moved to a remote production, saying that the decision to do so was for "my staff and crew. I love them, I miss them, the best thing I can do to support them is to keep the show on the air."

BuzzFeed spoke to current and former employees who worked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The story exposed the "racism, fear, and intimidation" employees said they experienced, calling the workplace of the show "toxic." The article exposed issues workers had -- including allegedly being fired for taking medical leave, and being told not to speak to Ellen directly if they saw her at the office. One employee alleged they were fed up with racial comments and walked off the job.

The Hollywood Reporter obtained a staff memo in which Ellen addressed the toxic workplace allegations and alleged misconduct. "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," she wrote in the memo. "Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

In the same memo, Ellen said that though it's "been way too long," she as glad to be having conversations about "fairness and justice." Adding to that, she said, "I promise to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow. It's important to me and to Warner Bros. that everyone who has something to say can speak up and feels safe doing so."

After The Hollywood Reporter published Ellen's apology, actor Brad Garrett tweeted that he wasn't buying Ellen's apology. "Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow," he said, adding, "Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge." He was the first celebrity to speak up with a larger platform since Nikkie shared her experience earlier in the year. Lea Thompson followed Brad and shared her experience with Ellen, writing, "True story," in response to Brad's comments.

Hedda Muskat, a former producer on The Ellen Show, shared her experiences working on the show. Speaking to The Wrap, Hedda said that Ellen fostered a "culture of fear" and didn't stand up for her staff when other members of the team mistreated people. She shared that Ellen had once giggled and replied, "Well I guess every production needs their dog," after a crew member was screamed at during a staff meeting by Ed Galvin, an executive producer of the show.

Although some celebrities spoke out negatively about their experience with Ellen, others shared their positive experiences. Katy Perry, Ashton Kutcher, and Ellen's wife, Portia de Rossi, have all publicly shared their support for Ellen. "I haven't spoken with @TheEllenShow and can only speak from my own experience," Ashton Kutcher wrote on Twitter. "She & her team have only treated me & my team w/ respect & kindness. She never pandered to celebrity which I always saw as a refreshing honesty. When things aren't right she handles it and fixes."