Ellen Degeneres lays out plan to salvage her battered reputation as embattled host prepares for TV return
Ellen DeGeneres during the IHEART Living Room Concert for America. (FOX/Getty)
Ellen DeGeneres has promised to address the allegations of racism, bullying and sexual misconduct on the set of her show when it makes its season premiere.
After months of controversy surrounding The Ellen DeGeneres Show‘s “toxic” working environment, there will no doubt be an elephant in the room when season 18 returns on 21 September.
But the 62-year-old presenter says she “can’t wait” to get back to her long-running talkshow, and plans to discuss the scandal when she does.
In a press release about the new series, she announced: “I can’t wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, we’re gonna talk about it.”
Three of the show’s top producers – Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman – were ousted after a WarnerMedia investigation found that some allegations of misconduct were indeed true.
With the show’s leaders gone, it seems DeGeneres intends to salvage her reputation. Last month Variety reported that she gave a virtual apology to more than 200 staff, verging on tears as she admitted she was “not perfect” and that her team had not been as sensitive as it should have been.
Executive producers said that the host “will be making rounds to smaller chats” with employees in the coming months.
Previously addressing the scandal, DeGeneres told staff: “On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect.
“Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case.”
Although the ongoing coronavirus crisis means The Ellen DeGeneres Show will be filmed without a studio environment, it seems that in most other respects it’ll be business as usual.
The show’s first week back is slated to include guest appearances by Kerry Washington, Alec Baldwin, and Chrissy Teigen. The guest roster through the month includes Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Adam Sandler and Orlando Bloom.
Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who was recently promoted to co-executive producer, is set to guest-host upcoming episodes of Ellen in the autumn.
