Two Hollywood celebrities are blowing the whistle on Ellen DeGeneres, claiming that it is “common knowledge” that the talk show host mistreated employees.
Actors Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson have added their voices to the dozens of former staffers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show who have alleged a toxic work environment. Some ex-employees have accused producers on the show of sexual assault and harassment, while other have alleged they were fired for taking sick leave and bereavement days.
Many of the former staffers who made the accusations to Buzzfeed News in recent weeks have claimed that the office culture was emotionally abusive.
Neither Garrett nor Thompson have accused Ellen DeGeneres of sexual misconduct. But Garrett tweeted Friday that he knows of “more than one” employee who was “treated horribly by her.” The Everybody Loves Raymond star also said he wasn’t buying DeGeneres’ recent apology to her staff in which she claimed to have been unaware of the alleged acts of misconduct.
Brad Garrett has appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show multiple times.
Back to the Future star Lea Thompson expressed her own incredulity toward DeGeneres’ apology. “True story. It is,” the actress tweeted Saturday, in reaction to Garrett’s earlier statement about Ellen.
It’s virtually unheard of in Hollywood for celebrities to say a bad word about Ellen DeGeneres, since her show has long been a popular pitstop for stars to promote their latest movies and TV shows. But the avalanche of allegations has badly tarnished the 62-year-old host’s squeaky clean image and has made a mockery of the show’s “Be Kind” motto.
The New York Post’s Page Six reported earlier this week that producers on The Ellen DeGeneres Show forbade people from even looking at Ellen while the show was on tour in Australia. The tabloid also reported that guests were told to compliment Ellen on-air.
WarnerMedia has instigated an internal investigation into the show following the allegations of misconduct.
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