It’s been one year since the sh*t hit the fan and WarnerMedia launched an internal investigation into Ellen’s once-hit daytime talk show amid accusations of bullying, harassment, and abuse.
Now, an insider at the show tells Fox News (ugh) that there’s a “slightly different environment” these days and morale among staff is improving. So that’s good, right?
“There’s now a structure,” the insider says.
But getting to this point has not been easy, they add.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Despite keeping her head down throughout much of last year’s controversy, the insider claims Ellen was freaking out behind closed doors and truly believed she was “dead meat.”
“Ellen felt there was a slight chance she could turn things around this last season, but she was unable to do that,” they add.
Season 18 of the show saw a 43% decline in viewership, losing roughly 1 million viewers, and putting Ellen well behind many of her former competitors, including Dr. Phil and Live: With Kelly and Ryan. Instead, she found herself competing with Rachel Ray and Jerry Springer’s former bodyguard’s talk show, The Steve Wilkos Show.
But another insider claiming to be a former staffer says they still don’t believe Ellen fully understands why people stopped tuning into her show last year.
“I don’t think that she’ll ever admit to having done anything wrong,” they say, adding that the funny lady has an “ego so big that I don’t think she’s learned.”
“I just want Ellen to understand what happened instead of saying it was ‘orchestrated.’ I think what the crew hopes more than anything is that she’s learned you can’t treat people like that.”
A third insider who previously worked for Ellen agrees, saying the TV host clearly “hasn’t learned a lesson” given her remarks to Savannah Guthrie, in which she claimed to have absolutely no idea about her show’s toxic work environment before reading about it in the press.
“For me to read in the press about a toxic work environment when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is and what a happy place is,” DeGeneres told Guthrie.
Did you feel like you were being canceled? –@SavannahGuthrie
I really didn’t understand it, I still don’t understand it … it was too orchestrated, it was too coordinated.” -Ellen DeGeneres pic.twitter.com/bBTk4hLKqk
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 13, 2021
A premiere date for Season 19 of The Ellen Degeneres Show has not yet been announced, though it will likely be sometime in mid to late September.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
glennmcbride
I was one of those that quit watching her. I always liked her show but all the stories about the way she treated people finally was too much for me.
Heywood Jablowme
Ellen’s T-shirt:
“I pretended to be nice for 19 years and all I got was this lousy T-shirt!”
Cam
Oh, now, who can’t forgive somebody for being mean and pretending to be anything but? I pretend to be sane and you all buy it every day.
Hdtex
No. Everyone here knows you’re batcrap crazy.
Cam
@Cam (Stolen Name)
Still obsessed with me troll? Love it, the ore you focus on me, the less and less you have time to troll and post attacks on the LGBTQ community.
Also, Thank you for proving everything I’ve been saying this whole time. If all of your screennames weren’t the same troll with multiple account then why are you so enraged and focusing on me so much?? Hmmmm? LOL
Your troll game is sad an weak.
LumpyPillows
While I think stealing a screen name is wrong, Cam’s incessantly meanspirited attacks on people make it a bit funny.
Jack Meoff
She could have saved her show is she was willing to admit there was a problem and own the consequences but even as a viewer you could see her contempt from time to time especially when she had someone on she thought was beneath her.
rand503
She had a tv show for 18 years. She made a few hundred million. And we are concerned about her?
Not me. I don’t wish her evil, but I have many other things to worry about than whether Ellen is happy with her life.
BOB K
VERY DISAPPOINTED IN MUCH OF THE GAY PRESS ESPECIALLY STINK NEWS AND ALL OF THE COMMENTS HERE
SHE MOSTLY DID GOOD AND HELPED MILLIONS, WAS AN ICON TO GAYS TO WOMEN TO PEOPLE COMING OUT OF ALL STRIPES
– BUT SHE WAS A BITCH TO HER STAFF IN A TOUGH BITCHY INDUSTRY SO THE 10% BAD WIPES OUT THE 90% GOOD TO YOU.
– IS THAT HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE JUDGED?
Ken A.
Na, not in my book. People just want something to bitch about without checking facts. I really honestly don’t care how she treated her employees, if they didn’t like it they could go elsewhere but prefered to remain in the industry for the prestige. She did a hellava a lot more good than bad. NBC didn’t cancel her, she decided to end the show. I’m still a fan. Secretly, I think she has another venue.
Dijonaise
She’s good friends with war criminal GWB. Say no more…
cuteguy
Ellen is a master class in NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder)
belugafan
I was getting worried about queerty- it’s been almost a week since they bashed Ellen. They love to bash those that have done so much good for the GLBT community over the years.
Cam
Good?
You mean like abusing multiple LGBTQ employees? Buddying up to George Bush who ran his campaign by attacking LGBTQ people. Absolving Kevin Hart on behalf of the entire LGBTQ community for his homophobic jokes?
Oh, and Precious, if you’re going to troll you may want to update your literature. It hasn’t been labeled “GLBT” for decades.
LumpyPillows
Nasty Cam.
BoomerMyles
Been nice having her off the air while the Olympics are on.
Will be even better when she’s permanently gone.
Cam
Ellen’s cases was simple. Multiple people, including some celebs presented stories of how abusive she was to her staff. The audience responded and she lost huge ratings.
JRamonMc
I quit watching a few years ago when it appeared she just wasn’t enjoying doing the show anymore. She had some totally cringe worthy interviews which showed just out of touch she really was. (ie: Dakota Johnson, Jane Fonda to mention a couple.) Not to mention, she got so much enjoyment out of torturing her game show guests that it was clear under that smile was a little evil lurking. I don’t discredit though all she has done for the gay community in her lifetime, but people need to learn to bow out gracefully when it becomes to much of a job to perform. I love Ellen for strides she’s made for all of us, but time to retire and reap all the benefits of the hard work you’ve done.
Heywood Jablowme
I just saw the HBO special “Tig Notaro: Drawn” and noticed Ellen is an “Executive Producer.” Cool, if Ellen wants to spend a tiny bit of her vast fortune promoting good lesbian comedians she will be doing SOME good. I agree with you, she seems to not even enjoy performing anymore unless she can be a little “evil” doing it!
LumpyPillows
They can go to their safe space in unemployment. Ellen is fine, insulated in her extreme wealth. Id call this cutting off your nose to spite your face.
chappy51
I THINK ELLEN CAN CONSIDER HERSELF A HAS BEEN, AFTER ALL THIS CRAP! SHE IS AS GUILTY AS ANYONE ELSE ON THAT SHOW. SHE LIES IF SHE SAYS SHE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT. MS ARROGANT, PLEASE FESS UP!!