As the controversy around The Ellen DeGeneres Show continues, fans are now calling for serious changes to be made — including the dismissal and replacement of its host Ellen DeGeneres. In light of the firestorm swirling around her wife’s work, Portia de Rossi is making sure that the world knows what side she's standing on.
In late July, WarnerMedia launched an internal investigation into the daytime talk show after Buzzfeed News published a deep dive into what many Ellen employees called a “toxic work culture.” The expose revealed that the working conditions behind-the-scenes were extremely poor, affected by racist and sexually predatory behavior in addition to a general disregard for the needs of its staff. Accusations were made against head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman, executive producer Ed Glavin, and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman — high-ranking men at the show who dozens of employees claimed had abused their power.
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"My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that," said DeGeneres in an official statement following the breaking news of the WarnerMedia investigation. "I want everyone at home to love our show and I want everyone who makes it to love working on it. Again, I’m so sorry to anyone who didn’t have that experience."
But for many the apology comes too little, too late. The mounting allegations, in addition to the stories circulating about DeGeneres herself being the opposite of cordial to Ellen's guests and staff alike, have resulted in public outcry for the host to be removed from her position.
The talk show host's wife has seen the online conversation and isn't happy about it. Hours ago, De Rossi logged into her Instagram account to share a word of support for DeGeneres and her talk show.
"To all our fans....we see you," the actress captioned her Instagram post. "Thank you for your support. #stopbotattacks"
If de Rossi is blaming the strong opinions circulating the internet on bots, she's sorely mistaken. As more disturbing details about the workplace culture of Ellen emerge, more fans are calling for the host's dismissal from the show.
#ReplaceEllen is trending on Twitter, and the hashtag has quickly became a meme, but many serious suggestions are sprinkled throughout — names like Tiffany Pollard (New York), Nailed It's Nicole Byers, and viral vegan queen Tabitha Brown popped up in the online discussion. All good choices for their own talk shows, but is it really possible to have Ellen without...Ellen?
If her parent company's investigation yields something damning, we might just find out.