Ellen DeGeneres is in hot water after dozens of former staffers came forward with claims that the talk show host created a toxic work environment.
Amid WarnerMedia’s investigation over the allegations, which include sexual misconduct, harassment and assault from top executives, several of DeGeneres’ A-list pals have come out in support of the comedian during her fall from grace, while others are siding with the accusers.
Meanwhile, DeGeneres, 62, issued a statement saying, “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. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”
Here is a list of celebrities who have claimed that DeGenerous aided in creating a toxic workplace for staffers on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
Kevin T. Porter
Comedian Kevin T. Porter was one of the first people to publicly comment about DeGeneres allegedly being hard to work with.
“Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen DeGeneres always talks about!” the podcast host tweeted back in March, adding, “She’s also notoriously one of the meanest people alive,”
He then asked followers to “Respond to this with the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean & I’ll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank.”
His tweet gained traction and several people shared their own horror stories — it’s unclear which were true or false — about DeGeneres.
“Commonly in LA, people who work in the industry or TV either know or know second-hand a not-very-nice story about Ellen,” Porter recently told Page Six. “It was just a thought I had rolling out of bed — it seemed like a fun, creative way to raise money for charity.”
Nikkie de Jager
YouTube Vlogger Nikkie de Jager dished on her awful experience when she was a guest on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in January.
De Jager, 26, was invited onto DeGeneres’ show after coming out as transgender, but she didn’t get the warm welcome she expected from the talk show host.
“Maybe I’m being naive, but I expected them to welcome me with confetti: ‘Welcome to The Ellen DeGeneres Show!’ she said an April interview with Dutch magazine &C (via Pop Crave) “But instead I got greeted by an angry intern, who was a bit overworked. I expected a Disney show, but I got a ‘Teletubbies’ after dark.”
She then claimed that she wasn’t treated the same as VIP guests and wasn’t even given access to a bathroom while backstage.
“Every guest at ‘Ellen’ had a private toilet, but I didn’t,” she said. “I couldn’t even use the closest toilet to me because it was reserved for the Jonas Brothers.”
De Jager later insinuated that DeGenerous was “cold and distant” with her.
“It’s really nice that you came over and said hello to me … She didn’t.” de Jager said on a Dutch talk show following her “Ellen” appearance, according to BuzzFeed.
Brad Garrett
Brad Garrett believes DeGeneres’ apology was too little, too late.
The “Everybody Loves Raymond” actor, 60, blasted the TV host in July after she apologized.
“Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow,” he tweeted, tagging DeGeneres. “Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge.”
Garrett didn’t comment on his own experience with DeGeneres, but he appeared as a guest on her show six times between 2004 and 2007.
Lea Thompson
“Back to the Future” actress Lea Thompson also backed Garrett’s claims of mean behavior from DeGeneres.
Following his tweet that it as “common knowledge” that people were treated “horribly” by her, Thompson responded, “True story. It is.”
Wayne Dupree
Podcast host Wayne Dupree believes DeGeneres isn’t sorry, just sorry she got caught.
The radio host was not amused with the talk show star’s ill-timed apology and seemed to suggest she should have said sorry to those she allegedly mistreated much sooner.
“Isn’t it funny how they apologize only after they’ve been found out, NEVER when they are treating people badly,” he tweeted in July.
Tony Okungbowa
Former DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Tony Okungbowa came forward about the toxic work environment on the show.
“I have been getting calls asking me about the Ellen Degeneres Show and I would like to address the time I spent there,” he said on Instagram in early August. “I was on air talent from 2003-2006 and from 2007 -2013.”
The 52-year-old actor explained that he agreed with the negative claims made against DeGeneres and other staffers on the show.
“While I am grateful for the opportunity it afforded me,” he said, “I did experience and feel the toxicity of the environment and I stand with my former colleagues in their quest to create a healthier and more inclusive workplace as the show moves forward.”