Talk show host and LGBTQ+ icon Ellen DeGeneres has publicly apologised amid allegations that the set of The Ellen Show was a ‘toxic’ environment where staff were treated poorly. Season 18 of The Ellen Show aired on Monday 21 September and began with Ellen addressing the situation and saying she is ‘trying to grow as a person’. She said she has taken the criticism ‘very seriously’, adding ‘I’m so sorry to the people it affected’.
Ellen said her ‘be kind’ mantra originated after the suicide of Tyler Clementi who took his life after experiencing homophobic bullying. Many questioned her ‘kind’ persona after allegations emerged of racial slurs being used on set and of staff being belittled by Ellen and her producers. Although Ellen had been criticised before, the release of a Buzzfeed article detailing the experiences of former employees caused many to turn against her, as they wrote her ‘be kind’ mantra was ‘all for show’ and that they experienced fear and intimidation daily. Three top producers have been fired amid the controversy.
Some have criticised Ellen’s apology for being ‘insincere’, with body language expert Bruce Durham telling the Mirror her words were ‘inauthentic’. He continued ‘she’s trying to use humour to disguise what the main topic’. She has also been critiqued by former employees, saying she ‘turned traumas into a joke’. However she has been praised by some, with singer Demi Lovato saying Ellen is ‘kind, generous and caring’.
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