'Ellen' Under Investigation

The "Ellen DeGeneres Show" is under internal investigation following numerous complaints of "toxic" working conditions.

Telepictures and Warner Bros. TV executives announced to employees via a memo last week that WarnerMedia and a third party firm would conduct the review, sources revealed to Variety in a report published Monday. Current and former staffers will be interviewed and questioned about their experiences working on set for the long-running show.

The investigation was launched after articles were published painting the show in a highly negative light. Last week Buzzfeed detailed claims of several past and current staffers, whose identities remained anonymous, who said they were subjected to racism and intimidation while working on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show."

One Black woman said she quit her job after enduring a constant flow of racist comments and "microaggressions." She claimed that, when she spoke up to executive producer Ed Galvin and suggested employees undergo diversity and inclusion training, he reprimanded her.

Another employee said they returned to work after taking a month's medical leave following a suicide attempt only to be told their position had been eliminated.

"Some of the producers talk openly in public about addiction and mental health awareness, but they’re the reason there’s a stigma," the former staffer said. "They definitely don’t practice what they preach with the 'be kind' mantra."

In a joint statement to BuzzFeed News, executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner said they take the stories of the employees "very seriously."

"Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1,000 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."

The statement continued: "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."

Earlier this year Variety spoke to several anonymous sources who said crew members of the "Ellen DeGeneres" show were up-in-arms after the talk show host hired a non-union company to help produce her show from home, leaving her regular unionized employees in the dark. In addition, here employees were upset about the lack of communication from higher-ups regarding their pay and job security amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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