An internal investigation has allegedly been launched into Ellen DeGeneres‘s talk show after a number of claims on set by staff members.
An internal investigation is said to have been launched by The Ellen DeGeneres Show‘s distributor, Warner Bros Television, and its producer, Telepicture, following claims of bad treatment while working on the show.
According to Variety, Warner Bros Television’s owner, WarnerMedia, will lead the investigation alongside an anonymous third party firm, who will interview current as well as former staff members.
It comes after current employees allegedly received a memo filling them in on the situation.
Former staff are believed to have accused the show’s producers of fostering an environment filled with “racism, fear and intimidation”.
Ten people who used to work on the show, and one current employee, anonymously alleged to BuzzFeed News that incidents including being fired for attending two family funerals, and producers joking that two black employees look similar and may cause confusion.
Many of the accusers also claim that the show’s environment is “dominated by fear”, and that employees who don’t raise concerns about work hours or microaggressions are rewarded.
DeGeneres was allegedly not directly blamed for the workplace environment in these particular instances.
In response, The Ellen Degeneres Show’s executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner released a joint statement, which read: “Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment. We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us.”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been on the air since 2003.
