Few celebrities or mainstream media figures have come out in defense of Ellen DeGeneres in response to the mounting allegations that executive producers for her daytime talk show routinely engaged in workplace abuse. Journalist Geraldo Rivera expressed bafflement that nobody has defended Ellen in the face of what he referred to as a “cancel mob”
“Watching the #CancelCulture mob turn on @TheEllenShow and work hard to undo everything Ellen DeGeneres has accomplished in her groundbreaking career should be instructive to all,” tweeted Rivera. “She made history bringing acceptance to a marginalized segment of society. Where are her defenders?”
Watching the #CancelCulture mob turn on @TheEllenShow and work hard to undo everything Ellen DeGeneres has accomplished in her groundbreaking career should be instructive to all.
She made history bringing acceptance to a marginalized segment of society. Where are her defenders?— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) August 3, 2020
In fact, the only celebrities to speak out about the Ellen controversy were those with strong negative opinions about the daytime talk show host. Former “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett, for instance, said it was “common knowledge” she mistreated her staff.
“Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow,” he tweeted. “Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge.”
Actress Lea Thompson (“Back to the Future”) also said it was common knowledge that Ellen mistreated people.
Further adding fuel to the fire, on Monday, one of Ellen’s former executive producers, Hedda Muskat, simply said Ellen is a “toxic host.”
“I had never seen this before. I had never been around a toxic host,” she told The Wrap.
Muskat recalled a time in which Ellen laughed as executive producer Ed Glavin screamed at a crew member during a staff meeting.
“He just went off on them,” she said. “His whole face turned red. … We were stunned.”
“She crossed her legs up on the chair and she said, ‘Well, I guess every production needs their dog,’” she continued. “And from then we knew. Ed was going to be the barking dog — her dog. You could just see everybody’s faces go stiff. We’re professionals; we’re adults. We don’t need a dog to get us to do our jobs. … She was the only one giggling.”
Speaking with the Daily Mail, an insider at Telepictures, which produces “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” said that Ellen knew about the alleged abuse on her show and should bear the ultimate blame.
“The truth is she knew what was going on, it’s her show. The buck stops with her. She can blame every executive under the sun – but Ellen is ultimately the one to blame,” the insider said.
“Inside Telepictures we’ve had enough of her. She is a phony who does not practice what she preaches,” the source continued. “The behavior of her show executives has been appalling, but [Ellen] is no better. In fact, she is the worst. It’s outrageous that she is trying to pretend that this is all a shock to her. The fish rots from the head, and Ellen is the head.”
Ellen has reportedly entered talks about canceling her show, though executive producer Andy Lassner publicly denied those rumors. On Monday, the hashtag #ReplaceEllen began trending on Twitter.
REPORT: Ellen DeGeneres May Cancel Talk Show Amid Workplace Abuse Allegations