Ellen DeGeneres’s former employees allege workplace environment filled with ‘racism, fear and intimidation’
Former employees of Ellen DeGeneres’s US talk show have accused its producers of fostering an environment filled with “racism, fear and intimidation”.
Ten individuals who used to work on the daytime series, and one current employee, have anonymously alleged to BuzzFeed News of incidents including being fired for attending two family funerals, and producers joking that two black employees look similar and may cause confusion.
One former employee alleged that she was told by a show writer that they “only know the names of the white people who work here”, while another claimed that they were ordered to take down a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical costs not covered by the show’s health insurance. They claimed they were told it reflected poorly on “Ellen’s brand”.
Many of the accusers alleged that the show’s environment is “dominated by fear”, with employees who don’t raise concerns about work hours or microaggressions being rewarded. A source claimed: “They feel that everybody who works at The Ellen Show is lucky to work there — ‘So if you have a problem, you should leave because we’ll hire someone else because everybody wants to work here.’”
While most of the former employees did not blame DeGeneres herself for the workplace environment, one argued that she ought to “take more responsibility” on the show’s set.
Earlier this month (2 July), the show’s production company denied speculation that it will be cancelled as a result of the “mean” allegations against its host.
Read more
Netflix releases list of top 10 most-watched original films ever
The 2012 Olympics brought Britain together – look at us now
Chinonye Chukwu: ‘Society doesn’t care about black women’s humanity’
