An expert and brand manager for reputation management says Ellen DeGeneres is trying to shift blame onto others to protect herself from the ongoing controversy in which she found herself.
2020 has been the year of backlog against DeGeneres. Once considered a favorite cabaret artist and celebrity, all year long DeGeneres, who sells a collection of products with her “be kind” message, has been the subject of complaints about her less than friendly behavior.
A Twitter thread started by cabaret artist Kevin T. Porter about the true personality of DeGeneres, received more than 2,000 responses with many people describing their own negative contacts with the TV show host.
DeGeneres is now under even more intense scrutiny after a number of former employees accused The Ellen Show of having a toxic work culture that is riddled with bullying, racial discrimination, and sexual harassment.
Eric Schiffer, chairman of Consultut Management, told Insider that he thinks DeGeneres is in “a giant dumpster fire, in which she has difficulty breathing air at the bottom.”
Schiffer, who is handling crises for major A-list celebrities, sports stars, and Fortune 500 companies, believes DeGeneres and her team are handling the situation poorly, and thinks DeGeneres is attracting every classic PR move except “the one that will get them to build trust – that’s all it takes. “
“That’s one way to restore credibility and these battles are all about restoring credibility and trust,” Schiffer told Insider.
He added that DeGeneres “should come clean” a long time ago, and the PR expert still thinks this is her best shot at repairing the scandal.
“She needs to take responsibility,” he said. “It is important for her to know, the viewers love truth and authenticity. They know it is a pleasant job. For those who are still tuned in, she is checked every night with an electron microscope. Every smile will be measured. “
DeGeneres’ strategy is’ deflect to protect ‘
Schiffer said DeGeneres’ current strategy is “deflect to protect”, which he says was clearly in the fire of executive producers “The Ellen Show” Jonathan Norman, Ed Glavin, and Kevin Leman on Monday.
The news came after former BuzzFeed reporters told reporters that they had experienced sexual harassment and intimidation while working on the show. Glavin, Leman and Norman were all accused of abuse by unnamed former employees, with one telling BuzzFeed News that Glavin had a “handy” reputation and would approach employees in a way that made them feel uncomfortable.
Leman and Norman deny all allegations made against them, while Glavin has yet to respond.
According to Schiffer, her dismissal alone is not enough, and she was “directly out of the defect to protect playbook, to draw attention to the horrible things that many have said have happened under this diabolical Hollywood bubble,” he said, adding: “This is a good day for shamelessly hypocritical prime donnas in Hollywood who are releasing their executive producers to deflate instead of take responsibility.”
He said he thinks DeGeneres hopes her “cash cow” will cloud the judgment of the top bosses at Warner Media, who are currently investigating “The Ellen Show” following BuzzFeed’s reports on their alleged toxic workplace culture.
Schiffer acknowledged that DeGeneres had released an open memo and apologized to his show staff, writing that she was sorry for those who were not treated with respect. DeGeneres also promised to “learn and grow” to make sure people never feel unhappy on the show again.
Schiffer, however, told Insider that the apology came far too late and “took no responsibility.”
“It’s Ellen’s shamelessness, out-of-touch, celebrity elitism, and the lack of accountability that people wear without it,” Schiffer said. “Ellen’s arrogance shines like the sun, and does not show her. She cannot return her way to public trust.”
‘There was an arrogance about her’
Schiffer, who is CEO of two companies – DigitalMarketing.com and ReputationManagementConsultants.com – told Insider that he actually met DeGeneres himself – in an elevator at an Emmys award contest one year ago.
“There was an arrogance about her, and I can see why she is considered to have this mammoth ego in Hollywood that would be too gigantic for her to stop the show ever early,” he said.
Schiffer said he does not think DeGeneres will leave the show, but instead hopes that her strength and status will see her through – although he stressed that this is not what he would advise her if she were his client.
Schiffer also had a word of caution against DeGeneres’ famous defenders, such as Katy Perry. He told Insider that in the eyes of the public, by defending DeGeneres, these stars support the kind of toxic behavior that the BuzzFeed reports describe, and show a lack of empathy for the potential victims if the investigation finds the allegations true. .
“It’s this legitimate mentality of celebrity where many are horrifyingly deaf. That’s what makes people a little crazy about their anger for their situation,” he said.
Insider reached out to representatives of Ellen DeGeneres for comment.
Read more:
Kevin Hart explains why he defends Ellen DeGeneres amid controversy: ‘I know how lonely it gets’
A 2009 tweet in which Ellen DeGeneres says she reappeared an employee ‘screamed like a baby’ amid accusations that the show has a ‘toxic’ culture
3 producers have left ‘The Ellen Show’ amid an internal investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace
