Ellen DeGeneres Staff Say Show’s Workplace is Toxic

For years, Ellen DeGeneres signed off her show with the message “be kind to one another,” but according to employees, the kindness is only for the cameras.  In an explosive report, Ellen’s former staffers claim that degradation, intimidation, and fear rule the set of the popular daytime show.

“That ‘be kind’ b——- only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show.” One of them insisted. For fear of being blacklisted, all ten former team members and one current employee asked Buzzfeed to remain anonymous when recounting their workplace horror stories.   

A black woman said she experienced racist comments and microaggressions from senior-level producers, and after she spoke up to her manager, executive producer Ed Glavin pulled her into an accusatory meeting.  

“He said that I was walking around looking resentful and angry.” When she left work that day, she never returned.  

One employee’s position was eliminated after medical leave for a suicide attempt, while another had to fight HR to get a few days off for a family member’s funeral, then was fired for the days off.  

Former personnel also claim that upper management showed favoritism towards employees that didn’t complain about lengthy shifts and who looked the other way when co-workers were treated poorly, often rewarding them with swag from sponsors.  

Most of the former Ellen staff blamed executive producers for the abuse, but believe that DeGeneres, who they were instructed not to speak to around the office, should take responsibility for her show’s work environment.  

“I never felt like it was safe to go to my manager when I had issues,” said one of the employees.  

“Be kind to the world,” another added, “not your employees.”

Marie Finn