‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ under internal investigation after toxic work environment complaints

HOUSTON – “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” is being investigated by parent company WarnerMedia, after several complaints of a toxic work environment, including reports of intimidation and racism, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Variety first reported that a memo was sent last week to show Telepictures staff Warner Bros. Television executives notifying them of the investigation.

According to Variety, the memo revealed that the companies have engaged with the WBTV owner WarnerMedia owner employee relations group and a third-party firm, which will conduct interviews of current and former staff members regarding their experiences in the set, sources said.

The investigation comes after multiple reports discussing working conditions and staff experience in the day program.

In April, Variety They reported the distress and outrage among the DeGeneres production team, who said they were subject to poor communication and told them to expect reduced compensation during initial coronavirus closings, even as the series hired non-union crews to assemble a production quarantined from the host’s home in Los Angeles. The crew was restored to full pay prior to the publication of VarietyThe report of

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At the time, a Warner Bros. spokesperson acknowledged that the communication could have been better, but cited complications due to the chaos caused by COVID-19. WarnerMedia, like all other studies, has been under pressure in recent years to investigate all claims of hostility in the workplace in response to an increased focus on misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Most recently, BuzzFeed released a report alleging racism and intimidation on the show.

BuzzFeed’s story reveals multiple incidents of accused racist behavior, including micro-assaults and jokes about mistaking two black employees for the same hairstyle.

Executive producers Ed Glavin, Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly addressed the allegations in a joint statement to Buzzfeed.

“We are truly heartbroken and sorry to hear that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It is not who we are and not what we strive to be, and not the mission that Ellen has established for us, ”the group wrote.

“For the record, the day-to-day responsibility for the Ellen show rests entirely with us. We take all of this very seriously and realize that as many of the world are learning, that we need to do better, we are committed to doing better, and we will do better. ”