'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' Is Under Investigation For Workplace Issues

The Ellen DeGeneres Show is under an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following various complaints concerning the show’s workplace environment, Variety has learned.

According to sources, show producer Telepictures and distributor Warner Bros. Television allegedly sent a memo last week informing Ellen staffers that WarnerMedia’s employee relations group and a third party firm will be conducting interviews with current and former staffers about their experiences on set.

The internal investigation comes weeks after 11 anonymous staffers broke their silence via BuzzFeed with accounts of racism, fear, and intimidation while working on Ellen DeGeneres' show.

One former employee, who identified herself as Black, claimed she was subjected to “microaggressions” from her superiors and jokes about mistaking two Black female employees with the same hairstyle. Another ex-worker recalled taking medical leave due to an attempted suicide only to return the following month to find her position had been terminated.

“That ‘be kind’ bulls–t only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show,” another staffer told the outlet. “I know they give money to people and help them out, but it’s for show.”

This isn’t the first time DeGeneres and her show has been under fire this year — she's been hit with an onslaught of allegations that contradict her good-natured persona.

YouTube beauty guru NikkieTutorials, who was invited to appear on Ellen in January, claimed the talk show host was “cold and distant” toward her. In recalling her experience during a TV appearance in the Netherlands, she said, "It was a huge honor to be on that stage with Ellen... it wasn't as nice as I thought it would be."

In April, Ellen was blasted for making a tone-deaf joke amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and weeks later drew ire from distressed union employees who were left without answers regarding pay when the pandemic caused the show to go on hiatus. The following month, one of DeGeneres’ former bodyguards accused her of “demeaning” those within her inner circle.

Photo: Getty Images