On Monday, Ellen DeGeneres is finally kicking off season 18 of her daytime talk show with a virtual audience—and an heartfelt apology.
The famous Hollywood host returned to the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show for the first time since the pandemic caused the series to go virtual earlier this year. Ellen began by addressing the recent investigation into misconduct allegations behind-the-scenes of her show.
“As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show and then there was an investigation. I learned that things happened here that never should have happened,” Ellen told an audience of virtual screens. “I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power and I realized that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show,” the continued.
I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power
The 60 year wold host also explained, “This is The Ellen DeGeneres Show, I am Ellen DeGeneres. My name is there, my name is there, my name is on underwear. We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace, and what we want for the future. We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter.”
This is The Ellen DeGeneres Show, I am Ellen DeGeneres. My name is there, […] and today we are starting a new chapter
Variety reported in late July that WarnerMedia would conduct an investigation into the workplace culture at Ellen and “interview current and former staffers about their experiences on set.” The controversy began with a BuzzFeed News report that detailed accounts from 10 ex-staffers and one current employee about sexual harassment, racism, and unjust termination they’d experienced from executive producers at the show.
In a memo to her staff, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres wrote: “As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”
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