Ellen DeGeneres has been tangled in controversy after controversy ever since the year began.
And with the latest claims that were made against her by some of her ex-employees, The Ellen Show’s producers were given no choice but to issue a statement, addressing the accusations of the ‘toxic work environment’ that have been rife since a while now.
Mary Connelly, Ed Glavin and Andy Lassner in a joint statement given to Entertainment Tonight, expressed their regret about their former employees having an unpleasant work experience with them.
“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. We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience,” read the statement.
“It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us. For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us.”
“We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better,” they added.
Earlier this week, 10 former employees of the show and one current, spoke to BuzzFeed News about the work environment being “toxic” owing to the producers.
They recounted how they were threatened with dismissal over medical leaves or bereavement days and were asked to refrain from speaking to DeGeneres when she was in her office.
While no direct comments were made about the talk show host and comedian, in the past few months, many former employees as well as guests on the show have spoken against DeGeneres and her ‘mean’ behavior.