character assassination

Ellen says she “misses” her staff after ex-employees accuse her of being secretly “mean”

Beloved TV talk show host Ellen Degeneres recently found herself the target of an attempted character assassination. Now, she’s finally responding. Sorta.

It all started last weekend when former Ellen employee Kevin T. Porter called his old boss “one of the meanest people alive” then encouraged others to share their Ellen war stories.

It didn’t take long for the flood gates to open.

One person accused her of demanding nobody from a neighboring sound stage eat meat because she, personally, finds it disgusting. Another said she polices her crew’s lunch orders and doesn’t allow anyone to eat fish.

There were accusations that Ellen tried to get a waitress fired for having chipped nail polish, that she went off on someone for smiling at her and saying “good afternoon,” and that she has a “sensitive nose” and sends staff home to shower if she thinks they’re unclean.

The 62-year-old funny lady hasn’t directly responded to the accusations being made against her, but she did take to both Twitter and Instagram this week to say she “misses” her staff.

“This was my show staff’s planned spring break week,” she wrote. “I’ve asked them all to continue to stay home with their loved ones, and disconnect for a week. And I wish I hadn’t. I miss them. But I’ll be posting lots more next week when they’re back. Until then, enjoy today’s Safer-at-Home Spring Break 2020. Day 1.”

People’s reactions to the stories about Ellen have been all over the map, with many saying they aren’t surprised to learn her bubbly, uplifting TV personality is just that–a TV personalitywhile others simply refuse to believe the rumors.

Related: People are having mixed reactions to learning Ellen Degeneres is secretly ‘mean’

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