Ellen DeGeneres fires three producers and tells staff accusations ‘broke her heart’
Ellen DeGeneres has taken action after accusations of a ‘toxic’ atmosphere behind the scenes of her shows by firing three top producers at the centre of the allegations
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Ellen DeGeneres has taken action against those thought to be at the centre of the sexual misconduct and workplace bullying accusations that have threatened to engulf her career.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show has seen three of its producers fired, with executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman all being given the boot from the daytime talk show.
Variety has reported that they were the ones that former employees accused of fostering the ‘toxic’ workplace atmosphere on the show.
Other Ellen DeGeneres shows, including NBC’s Ellen’s Game of Games, have also axed Glavin and Leman in the wake of their dismissal from her main show.
Ellen spoke to employees on Monday in a video conference call, in which she shared the news of the dismissals.
A source told Variety that Ellen described the recent allegations as ‘heartbreaking’ as she spoke intimately about the recent weeks.
Variety has reported that Warner Bros. have confirmed that the three producers have “parted ways” with the Ellen fronted show.
The 62-year-old comedian was reportedly “emotional” and “apologetic” in the call to more than 200 employees, according to sources.
Ellen had been accused of not taking any steps to bring down the “toxic environment” on her shows and she reportedly admitted that she was “not perfect” when it came to that.
She also admitted that the leaders on the show had not been sensitive to “human beings” as they focused on making sure the show was a “well-oiled machine.”
Ellen also said that it was true that the show had ‘alienated’ employees and guests because the shooting timetables were changed at the last minute.
She has now agreed that this would not happen anymore and that the schedule will be adhered to in the future.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show will return for its 18th season next month but it has already been put back a week to September 14.
Ellen previously addressed the allegations, which were being investigated at the time by Warner Bros, on July 31.
In a statement to employees, she apologised and said that she takes “full responsibility” for what happened on the show.
She has claimed that as the show became more popular and grown in stature, she had “not been able to stay on top of everything” and instead “relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done.”
She admitted: “Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring that doesn’t happen again.”
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