Another day, another story about how awful Ellen Degeneres is. This time, it’s one of her former housekeepers speaking out about alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of the embattled daytime talk show host.
Now, we have to say right off that bat that the accusations are pretty ridiculous and unbelievable. Then, again, we’re not entirely sure what to believe anymore. It is 2020, after all.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, the unnamed former housekeeper claims Ellen ran her household like a military-style boot camp, barking orders at employees, setting traps to catch them making mistakes, and taking pleasure in firing them when they messed up.
“Before I took the position, people were warning me not to take it,” the source says. “I was told that she had a very high turnover and that I should stay under the radar as much as possible, avoid as much direct contact with Ellen as possible.”
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“Working there was described as being more like a boot camp.”
Each morning, household workers were allegedly given an itemized list of all the things they had done wrong the previous day. Offenses, called “violations,” ranged from serving food in the wrong bowl to not making sure there was enough froth in Ellen’s daily latte.
“There might be 20 to 30 things every day,” the source says. “We are talking about the finest, finest details here. A salt shaker out of place or a light switch left on.”
One time, Ellen allegedly scolded a chef for using the guest bathroom rather than the toilet designated for “the help.” Another time she allegedly got angry at a maid for putting a piece of trash in the recycling bin.
“She treated you like you were nothing.”
The former housekeeper goes on to say that, as the staff got better at their jobs, Ellen began laying traps to catch them messing up so she could have a reason to chastise them.
“She would actually leave matchsticks around the house, behind cupboard doors, cushions or books to see if the staff was cleaning and moving things. One day the staff found around eight of them, all in weird places. The rest of the day became a race to find them all before she got home and fired someone.”
She also enjoyed yelling at them until they cried.
“She was going to torture you and you were just going to sit there and listen to it because you were being paid,” the source says. “I remember going home sometimes thinking I just hated my life.”
According to the former housekeeper, hardly anyone lasted on the job for more than a few weeks. Some didn’t even make it through one shift.
“There were numerous people that she fired, rehired, then fired a second time. I heard about a manager who started on a particularly bad day and was fired in the first two hours.”
But it wasn’t just household workers who suffered. Repairmen, security guards, and other contractors were all mistreated.
“One of the top security firms in Hollywood terminated their contract with her. Some of criticisms I heard were that she didn’t like the way they walked,” the source says. “I’m not even kidding, she literally didn’t like the way they walked. Also how they opened and closed doors.”
Like almost everyone else, the former housekeeper was eventually fired by Ellen after a couple of months on the job. By then, they were one of the longest-serving members on staff.
“You stick it out because quitting looks bad on your resume but everyone in Hollywood knows what’s going on there. I missed the pay check afterwards but felt a sense of relief that I never had to go back there.”
The source continues, “Ellen was the worst person that I’ve ever met in my life. She takes pleasure in firing people.”
“My belief is that someone’s real personality comes out at home. So after everything that has been said about her at work, you can imagine how terrible Ellen is going to be at home when her guard is down.”
Jared MacBride
This is about as shocking as Trump saying something dumb or Biden forgetting where he is.
Cam
Clever move to try to say something about Trump before pushing the Republican line about Biden.
Funny, Biden wasn’t the one bragging about passing a cognitive test that doctors only give you if they think you may have demntia.
Jared MacBride
@Cam – Biden and trump are both idiots, as are you.
Cam
Translation: You’re a Trump supporter and tantrum like a child.
Joshooeerr
Hmmm. But is being mean to staff really up there with ignoring a pandemic so that thousands die, enacting policies that destroy the environment, fuelling racism and violence, eroding LGBT rights, tax cuts for the mega-rich at the expense of the poor… etc, etc, etc. Maybe Trump is super nice to his staff (though the way he fires everyone, that’s unlikely), but that still wouldn’t make him a decent human being.
JED08
Biden knows where he is, so that statement just makes you sound foolish.
Cam
Why would the author say “Now, we have to say right off that bat that the accusations are pretty ridiculous and unbelievable. Then, again, we’re not entirely sure what to believe anymore. It is 2020, after all.”
These accusations pretty much mirror what dozens of others have said. So in what world would they be “unbelievable”?
michael_totzke
P R E C I S E L Y! Not a single thing seemed hard to believe.
Bromancer7
Exactly. I believe every word of it.
mdrguy1
Don’t look to Queerty for quality writing. It’s frothy and light and very often just adequate. And now and then, downright awful, too. Come for the pics instead.
Fname Optional Lname
Funny how LGBTQ people in the spotlight are being targeted at once and the public jumped right in line. Ellen, RuPaul, Shane Dawson etc. All three have certainly done more than their share of good in this world. Some may have just realized that they’re also human and therefore capable of making mistakes. How much stems form jealousy, envy or just plain bigotry and homophobia? Or maybe the fame has gone to their heads and turned them in to evil dictator wannabes who must be stopped at all costs? Seems like something starts the spark and the haters run with the rest. A Russian bot could not have planned it better.
JED08
Agreed, there is nothing unbelievable about these claims.
WSnyder
News Flash: A lot of people hate their jobs.
So if it was that bad, why stay? It seems a lot of people might be ‘cashing in’ with horror stories because, hey, people love trashy gossip and saying ‘nice’ things doesn’t sell. Why can’t I but this story? Because I can’t imagine someone with a career staying up hours at night writing up stupid ‘Violations Lists’ for their Domestic staff. Building ill-will to people you come to depend on just sounds stupid. These people have all kinds of access to your LIFE and you want to go out of your way to piss them off? Not likely I’m thinking. Sounds juicy but if you take a sec and think about it, yeah, it really doesn’t sound plausible.
Occam’s Razor: Ellen goes out of her way to piss off her staff because it’s fun vs. Former employee cashing in. Hmmm
Grrrowler
I agree that this story doesn’t sound plausible. It seems unlikely that Ellen, while filming a daily talk show that probably took a good deal of her time, had enough spare time to make a list of 20-30 things done wrong by her staff, every day. And after a day of filming her show, she’s going to go home and wander her massive house to find all the match sticks that she hid?
I think Ellen is probably smart enough to not sow discontent in her staff and drive them away after only a day or two on the job. That doesn’t make her busy life easier, it makes it more chaotic. I really don’t care if Ellen is nice or not. When it comes down to it, she plays a character on TV. Anyone who expects her to be the same person she portrays on the show is not fully grounded in reality.
Cam
@Grrrowler
Except for the fact that multiple staff has reported that Ellen did exactly that. And the network investigated and stated that there was a hostile environment at the Ellen Show.
michael_totzke
Sounds entirely plausible to me. Ellen seems to me a really seriously damaged individual. I’ve known people like her … & at first you CANNOT BELIEVE the lengths they go to to be unpleasant. After awhile, YOU JUST BELIEVE.
jsmu
@WSnyder What horseshit. You must REALLY not get out much to be so imbecilically CLUELESS about the rotten behaviour of Hollywood ‘stars.’ The amount of dirt on deGeneres is beyond dispute.
dmanhart
Excellent points!
Toofie
This sounds like Mommie Dearest level of lunacy. So I’m thinking it’s a lot of exaggeration on the housekeeper’s part.
Mattster
I know someone who handles a staffing agency–not Hollywood, but a wealthy clientele. I know nothing about Ellen but this level of nastiness and lack of proportion is not unusual at all. One client didn’t like a staff person’s name and demanded she change it. Another criticized how someone wore their belt buckle. Tantrums and arbitrary firings were commonplace. People saying this employee must be making it up clearly have never worked in the service industry.
I doubt these staffers are getting paid much for their anonymous accounts. Like many celebrities, Ellen probably has the staff sign NDA’s so it’d be difficult for them to cash in for much. And a high staff turnover is not hard to spot.
Calin
I would hate my life too if I were a maid!!Who wAnts to be a maid when they grew up?
ScottOnEarth
Grow up. There’s nothing wrong with being a maid. It’s hard, honest work. Being a judgmental snob is worse.
mailliw110
So what do you want to do when you grow up?
johnnymcmxxx
You pompous as*. People who work in the service industry, in any capacity, are the hardest workers I’ve ever met. What do you do that’s such hard work? I think entitled snobs like you are a punchline to the big joke.
wikidBSTN
NO METAL COAT HANGERS!!!
Lobeskc
“No wore hangars, EVER!”
Lobeskc
“Wire”
khan72
What a load of horse shit
None of this is abuse
Anyone with a big house and lots of staff knows how much hard work the staff can be
Like everyone, they push their luck to see what they can get away with
It is a constant tug of war
They are not the innocent victims, it is an endless overt, passive/aggressive drama
Rich people are not all evil and poor people are not all good
People are people.
fingertrouble
We found the rich bastard! Pitchforks ready!
Brian-E
You write as if the “constant tug of war” is equal on each side. Obviously it isn’t. One of the parties depends on the employment for their basic income without which they cannot live their life, the other is (or was) an extremely wealthy and popular celebrity who can get new staff hired at the drop of a hat.
I agree with you that “rich people are not all evil”, but some of them evidently are.
Mattster
Nina Simone, is that you!?
michael_totzke
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
scotshot
Any person who has power has the opportunity to abuse it. I’ve seen both sides of it and it can be much worse than you believe.
johnnymcmxxx
All rich people are probably not evil, but the 1% often are arrogant, obnoxious, condescending assh*les who think their money makes them more important. More deserving. They are not better than those who work for them.
jsmu
B*TCH, PLEASE!
Cam
One of the signs of a person you shouldn’t date is if they treat the wait staff badly on a date. Another, if they have people working for them, how do they treat them?
BaltoSteve
While growing up, I was taught that there are three sides to every conflict. You have the 1st party’s side, the 2nd party’s side, and the truth.. which is somewhere in between the first two. With that in mind, I would respectfully ask, where are the receipts? Now, me personally, in that situation, I would be thinking… “This bitch is crazy… I need to cover my ass and record this shit.” And then proceed to record finding the matchsticks… record the berating (even if it was just an audio recording). Record as much as possible.. every interaction. Again.. that’s just me.. I would want to be able to prove what I was saying…
Cam
Multiple staff members have come out and made similar claims, and even a few celebs have come out saying the knew people who worked on the show and she’s abusive.
The_Roxxtar
That’s assuming staff members are allowed to have devices that can record while working in the house. If these stories are true, surely a celebrity who is berating their staff isn’t going to allow themselves to be recorded doing so, especially if they have the public reputation of being a sweetheart.
BaltoSteve
@CAM; I am sure that all of us who post on here can find any number of people from our pasts who will say what horrible trash people we are. And please keep in mind, allegations aren’t receipts.
@The_Roxxter; It’s very true that may have been told not to carry recording devices. However, if you know that on a pique you could be fired in a heartbeat in a vitriolic filled tirade, wouldn’t you take that chance? I mean, I know I would, especially after being warned about working there. And even more so if the employer were given that moniker.
And just for the record, I really couldn’t care less for Ellen. I just think that, especially in this digital age, we need to slow down and listen to every allegation and look for evidence to support those allegations. Everyone is telling the truth until they are proven not to.
Ronbo
Please consider that this is another piece by Graham Gremore that is certainly unflattering of a gay person. You remember Graham from his numerous anti-gay stories of Alex Morse that turned out to be false. Gay progressive Morse lost as a result of a smear campaign in which Graham participated with multiple false stories.
Graham Gremore has not yet apologized for escalating the false attacks against Alex Morse, good politician who happens to be gay. Alex Morse lost his election to a much, MUCH more conservative politician.
Ryan99
What is Queerty’s obsession with trashing Ellen with anonymous bullshit?
i don’t know, and frankly don’t really care if this is true, but the English papers have a long history of paying people for stories, so they can almost always get someone to tell them something lurid in exchange for their cash.
jerkinns
A lot of you obviously haven’t come across a vile person such as this in your lives. Yes, they do exist, and yes they will go through lengths to commit their sadistic deeds to satisfy their twisted ego.
Andy.R
On the other hand, in the era that we live in, with cellphones, recordings and videos, why are there no physical proof of any of these allegations?
Gay Thomas
Ellen can be both a funny persona who has done much good, charitable work and a king-size bitch.
tjack47
I don’t know about Ellen. I’ve had many hours of pleasure over the years from her entertainment. Also, if the long list of infractions were done, she dictated it. That would take seconds. If matchsticks were being left around, she wouldn’t be doing it. I’m beginning to suspect something my ex had. It’s a horrible anxiety disorder. Possibly, obsessive compulsive disorder. No inside information, but if these stories are true, I would suspect it.
TimberWolf
I believe it, that is no exaggeration, I know people who worked for a wealthy family and employees in their business, the father was a tyrant, nasty even his secretary who worked on the East Coast while he flew back and forth between West Coast and East said he was inhuman, employees called him a monster cruel so I am not surprised how nasty and inhuman Ellen is Money and Power and an ego There is a hot seat in hell with her name on it, waiting
s
Don’t believe any of this nonsense.
nm4047
master slave relationships are not new stories, only difference now of course is there’s money to be made from this type of ‘scandalous’ scripts.
Eric R. Wilson
There’s too much smoke in Ellen’s aura to not be some fire…. How disappointing to learn that she’s such a phony, mean-assed weirdo.
rocknstan
It should come as no surprise that Ellen appears nice on her show, and yet behaves badly elsewhere.
She is a television actor, with the emphasis on “actor.”
I, too, don’t understand the Queerty writer’s reluctance to believe the helps’ stories, and spell checkers are ubiquitous.
winemaker
How many of us took jobs that appeared the ‘right fit’ when interviewed, the person or supervisor seemed rational and normal? Then after being hired their true self came out: they were rude, condescending, insulted you and your intelligence, impossible to work for and with and regularly made your daily life miserable and a living hell? Well join the club, there’s no amount of money worth having to go through S**T like this. Sadly there are a lot of psychopaths out there who hide their true selves quite well.
Saki
her show is ridiculous…making fun of your guests and scaring them not funny at all. and there is audience playing some stupid games for silly prizes …whatever
BoomerMyles
I read that Ellen FORBIDS any of the domestic help to be in the same room as her.
When she enters a room the staff have to hurry out the other exit.
If she catches them in the room it’s grounds for immediate dismissal no matter how long they’ve worked there.
That’s one reason why no one lasts.