E-Paper
The Ellen Show’s former staffers reveal toxic work culture: ‘That ‘be kind’ bullsh*t only happens when cameras are on’
The Ellen Show’s former employees have accused the show’s executive producers and other top bosses of propagating toxic work culture.
Former staff members of The Ellen Show have accused senior producers of the show of propagating toxic work culture, racism and inconsiderate behaviour in a Buzz Feed report. The staffers revealed stories of how they we denied leaved, fired during times of personal crises, and had to deal with racist bosses during their time on the show.
As many as 10 former employees and one current employee talked to BuzzFeed anonymously. “That ‘be kind’ bullsh*t only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show,”said a person who used to work with the show. “I know they give money to people and help them out, but it’s for show,” they added. While the accusations were mostly levelled against the top bosses, excluding Ellen, the staffers were also told ‘by their direct managers to not speak to DeGeneres if they saw her around the office.’
Executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner said shared their statement with Buzz Feed. “Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment,” they said. “We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us.”
A Black woman said a senior-level producer told her and another Black employee, “Oh wow, you both have box braids; I hope we don’t get you confused.” Again, at a party, a writer told her, “I’m sorry, I only know the names of the white people who work here.
One former employee said they were fired from the job after they took a month’s leave for checking into a mental health facility after attempting suicide. “You’d think that if someone just tried to kill themselves, you don’t want to add any more stress to their lives,” said the employee.“Some of the producers talk openly in public about addiction and mental health awareness, but they’re the reason there’s a stigma,” they added. “They definitely don’t practice what they preach with the ‘be kind’ mantra.”
Another employee was fired after a particularly difficult year: ‘medical leave for three weeks after they were in a car accident, working remotely for two days to attend a family member’s funeral, and then three days off to travel for another family member’s funeral’.
One employee was told to remove their Go Fund Me page for medical expenses as it would not reflect well on Ellen’s brand. “They discovered my fundraiser, then got mad at me. … They were more concerned about Ellen’s brand instead of helping me out,” they said.
The employees said the work culture at of favouritism. “They hire people who maybe are inexperienced with how a functional, nontoxic work environment actually is, or someone who just wants to be in that atmosphere so bad that they’ll put up with it,” one former employee claimed. “They kind of feed off of that, like, ‘This is Ellen; this is as good as it gets. You’ll never find anything better than this.’”
Earlier in April, Ellen’s staff had expressed disappointment at salary cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to Variety, the show’s core stage crew of more than 30 people were kept in the dark about issues like pay and working hours for over a month, while it was being shot from DeGeneres’ residence.
Two sources who spoke with the outlet on the condition of anonymity revealed that they received no written communication about the status of their working hours, pay, or inquiries about their mental and physical health from producers for over a month.
When they contacted the “higher-ups in production”, they received very little information. When executives finally spoke with them, nearly all crew members were told last week to brace for a 60% reduction in pay, even as the show continues to air.
Follow @htshowbiz for more
