Ellen DeGeneres’ empire is on a rapid decline toward brand suicide, an expert tells Fox News in a new interview.
The bubbly, charitable personality DeGeneres, 62, exemplifies in his self-titled talk show has been questioned in recent months as employees continue to filter out accusations of toxic culture in the workplace. Most recently, a Buzzfeed report included allegations from a current staff member and 10 previous ones claiming to be victims of harassment and racism.
A current employee claimed that top producers held a full staff meeting on Zoom in May to address the “low morale” at the company following the Fox News interview with DeGeneres’ former bodyguard. The bodyguard stepped back, claiming it was “cold” and “degrading” off camera.
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Eric Schiffer, President of Reputation Management Consultants, discussed the latest allegations and what they mean for the host brand.
Ellen DeGeneres arrives at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, January 5, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP)
“Authenticity is king of celebrity brands and these continued leaks are hurting their credibility and destroying their ability to continue trying to position themselves on high moral ground,” Schiffer told Fox News.
“It is a celebrity brand suicide,” he added.
Show executives issued a statement to Buzzfeed in response to the allegations that they blamed the popular host.
“For the record, the day-to-day responsibility of the Ellen show falls entirely on us. We take all of this very seriously and realize, as many in the world are learning, that we must do better, we are committed to doing it. best”. , and we will do better, “the statement says in part.
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Schiffer said this is an example that DeGeneres is not responsible for. He said the accusations, whether they exist on the production side or not, ultimately fall on her.
“Ellen is unwilling to accept full responsibility and is trying to make her top producers take full success, further demonstrating the lack of character,” said Schiffer. “A leader steps forward and learns from him, and now we are learning that Ellen, who is considered to be very clean in her personality, may be leading an organization that has stone-crazy racism within it. It is horrible to think about that. “
Schiffer added that it would be almost impossible for DeGeneres to have been unaware of the alleged abusive behavior that occurs behind the scenes.
“The possibility that Ellen does not know this is happening is the same possibility that there are still people in the United States who do not know the name of Donald Trump,” said the brand expert.
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Representatives for DeGeneres and the program did not immediately respond to Fox News’ requests for comment on the new allegations on Friday.
More than a dozen employees have spoken to various media outlets about their negative experiences working at “Ellen.” Schiffer noted that it will not go away and that is alarming to advertisers.
In this March 7, 2019 photo released by Warner Bros., David Letterman appears with presenter Ellen DeGeneres during a recording of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in Los Angeles.
(Michael Rozman / Warner Bros. via AP)
“I think the future of the program is in serious jeopardy because top executives who must continue to raise advertising dollars are not going to push the product that will make their clients work,” Schiffer said.
Schiffer, who says he has no direct knowledge of the show’s fate, said that according to his ideas in the branding industry, executives have entered unknown territory.
“Given the continuous smoke coming out of the camp and my own ideas about the hyper-caring nature of executives, I think the odds of the ‘Ellen’ program becoming a mushroom cloud are higher than ever,” the expert continued.
Advertisers are likely “outraged” by repeated claims of the show’s toxic workplace culture. A former employee claimed to have been fired from his job after taking a month off for help after a suicide attempt.
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Another employee, a black woman, claimed to have been looked down on by producers who commented on her “box braids” and told her they only remembered the names of white employees. Schiffer said these accusations alone are enough to “shut down” advertisers, but they are even more damaging as systemic racism talks in the United States are stronger than ever.
This NBC image shows Ellen DeGeneres accepting the Carol Burnett TV Achievement Award as presenter Kate McKinnon, right, watches the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
(Paul Drinkwater / NBC via AP)
“Any advertiser who wants to align himself with a significant portion of the American public on issues related to race and employee treatment will choose to protect his brand and put money into other programs instead of ‘Ellen’ because of the anger it could provoke on advertisers. “he said.
To date, DeGeneres has yet to publicly address the allegations surrounding his talk show. Schiffer said it is not enough to allow program executives to take the fall.
“Disrespecting your top leaders and putting them on them is even worse,” Schiffer concluded. “It’s this ongoing pattern of narcissism and a lack of empathy for her junior staff, a lack of empathy for her producers. She should step forward and own it, but she’s too big a celebrity on her mind.”
The expert said that if DeGeneres wanted to do things right, he would not only take a “humble” approach with an apology, but would also make peace with each member of his staff through “one-on-one” meetings.
Schiffer said it appears that DeGeneres has no interest in doing so.
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“She is too important and does not want to harm her brand. Meanwhile, her brand is bleeding to death across the United States,” he said.
