Ellen DeGeneres Returns to Show With Apology for Toxic Workplace

In July, BuzzFeed News reported that former employees of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” said they had experienced “racism, fear and intimidation” on the program and were fired after taking time off for medical leave or bereavement. A former Black employee said she was the victim of racist comments from staff members.

Warner Bros., the studio that distributes the syndicated program, and its subsidiary, Telepictures, started an internal investigation. In August, three high-level producers were let go: Ed Glavin, an executive producer; Jonathan Norman, a co-executive producer; and Kevin Leman, the head writer.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which started in 2003, has been a boon to Warner Bros., which is part of ATT’s WarnerMedia entertainment division. Last year, Ms. DeGeneres signed a contract to keep her at the program through 2022. She also signed a deal to make new shows for HBO Max, the WarnerMedia streaming service. In addition, Ms. DeGeneres is the host of a Warner Bros. game show, “Ellen’s Game of Games,” a prime-time mainstay for NBC.

During the monologue, which was posted on her show’s social media accounts, Ms. DeGeneres, 62, referred to “articles in the press and on social media that said that I am not who I appear to be on TV.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/business/media/ellen-degeneres-show.html