Ellen DeGeneres Shifts Blame For Toxic Work Culture To Staff
Ellen DeGeneres has finally spoken out after staffers accused her of ignoring the toxic work environment at her show. In a letter to her crew, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen appears to shift the blame to others saying that since the show has grown, she has not been able to keep tabs on the day to day production activities.
A Buzzfeed story published earlier this month featured numerous former employees accusing the show of engaging in racism, intimidation and unwarranted termination. The employees claimed the show's top producers promoted a toxic work culture. The allegations prompted an in-house investigation by Telepictures parent WarnerMedia, which is nearly complete.
Insiders believe that heads are expected to roll and that executive producer Ed Glavin may be the first to go. "Once he's out, it will be like a new day," a source said, adding that DeGeneres was unaware of Glavin's mistreatment of the staff.
The executive producer had sent a statement, which was also signed by executive producers Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, to Buzzfeed after the report appeared, saying, “We have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment. We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience.”
Glavin, who has been accused of having an explosive temper, is also alleged to have engaged in inappropriate behavior with employees, including unwelcome touching. Another executive producer, Kevin Leman, has been accused by former staffers of sexual abuse and harassment. Employees claim they saw Leman grope and kiss employees, and even grab a production assistant’s genitalia.
In addition, co-executive producer, Jonathan Norman, is alleged to have showered a former employee with gifts before trying to perform oral sex on him. Formers staffer cannot agree on how much Ellen knew. Some say she was rarely in the office and was somewhat distanced from her staff. Others say she should have known what was going on since she is in continuous contact with senior producers.
The show was renewed in 2019 for three more years. It remains to be seen when the show will start filming on set again since Ellen has spent the lockdown shooting from home, away from most of her staff.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
from TheRichest - Feed https://ift.tt/39G77XY
Post a Comment