Tony Okungbowa, a former employee on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, stands behind his ex-colleagues who have claimed the show was rife with bullying, racism, intimidation, as well as “toxicity.” Tony, who used to go by the name, DJ Tony, during his tenure on the series, took to his Instagram to comment on the controversy.
You can check out what Tony had to see for yourself:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDeYxlXJwnN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
In the post, Tony claimed he was on the air from 2003 until 2006, as well as from 2007 and 2013. Moreover, he claims he was incredibly grateful for the opportunities that came with it, however, he says he did feel some of the reported “toxicity.”
He claims he stands behind his former colleagues in their mission to create a better working environment. As it was previously reported, many of the show’s ex-staffers complained about the 62-year-old television show host.
She has been accused of creating a horrible working environment in which varying kinds of harassment and bullying persisted. Moreover, executive producers and other higher-ups were accused of sexual misconduct, including inappropriate touching and other transgressions.
The accusations against Ellen and the showrunners led WarnerMedia to launch an investigation aided by a third-party firm. Since she was called out, however, Ellen has been supported by many of her celebrity friends, including Katy Perry, Kevin Hart, and Ashton Kutcher, among others.
But not everyone has had her back. For instance, Brad Garrett wrote on his Twitter account earlier this month that Ellen’s mistreatment of her employees was “common knowledge” in the entertainment industry.
Thus far, it’s not entirely clear what’s going to happen to The Ellen DeGeneres Show because reports have been conflicting. For instance, some sources have claimed Ellen has no intention of leaving her series, while others have argued the opposite.
One report claimed James Corden was going to replace her and had already been in negotiations to be her successor once she finally retires. Insiders close to Ellen, however, said these rumors were completely baseless.
One executive producer claims he was told not to speak or even look at Ellen DeGeneres when she went to do an interview on Australia’s Today show.