Ellen DeGeneres has broken her silence two years after her long-running talk show ended in the wake of allegations of a toxic workplace.
The former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” host, 66, returned to the stage Wednesday night to kick off the concert Ellen's Last Stand… Tour With a set at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. according to Rolling Stone And the peopleDeGeneres took the opportunity to address the elephant in the room: her absence from the spotlight in recent years.
“We were both lying down for a while,” she said of herself and her wife of 15 years, Portia de Rossi, at the outlets.
Thinking about the backlash you experienced after a BuzzFeed News She published a report in July 2020 detailing claims by current and former employees that they faced racism, fear, and intimidation while working on the show, and DeGeneres summarized: “The 'be nice' girl wasn't nice. She became this one-dimensional character that they ditched things and danced the steps. “
When an audience member asked her if she was able to dance through difficult times, DeGeneres replied, “No, it's hard to dance when you cry. But I'm dancing now.”
The comedian took a moment to be vulnerable in front of fans at the first show of her tour.
“I make jokes about what happened to me, but it was really devastating,” she said. “I hated the way the show ended. I love this show so much and I hated that the last time people would see me was like this.”
In a monologue commemorating her final episode after 19 years on air, DeGeneres said: “I walked out of here 19 years ago, and I said this is the beginning of a relationship. Today is not the end of a relationship. It's more than just a little break.” You can watch other talk shows Now that I see another crowd from time to time.”
DeGeneres' contract expired in May 2022, when the show aired its final episode, and before that, she spoke publicly about possibly ending the show.
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Buzzfeed News noted in its report that most of the former employees blamed executive producers and other top managers for “daily intoxication.” However, one former employee said DeGeneres “really needs to take more responsibility.”
Some said they were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days to attend funerals, while one claimed she dealt with racist comments and actions and microaggressions.
Upon his return to the show after the shocking report, DeGeneres told the audience: “I've learned that things happened here that should never have happened. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I'm very sorry to the people who were affected.” “
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She continued: “I know that I am in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I bear responsibility for what happens on my show.”
In a statement to USA TODAY in 2020, executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner said they were “truly saddened and sorry to learn” of the allegations.
“For nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1,000 employees, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment. We are truly saddened and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family had a negative experience.”
The following month, executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Lyman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman were fired from the syndicated talk show.
According to the Comedian websiteFive more shows are scheduled in Los Angeles during early June before DeGeneres hits the road to other West Coast cities.
Contributing: Hannah Yasharov and Sarah M. Muniusco
“Wannabe web expert. Twitter fanatic. Writer. Passionate coffee enthusiast. Freelance reader.”
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