Ellen, Warner Bros. Respond After Report Alleges Toxic Work Culture
Written by SOURCE on July 31, 2020
Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros. have now spoken out following recent allegations of toxic work culture.
The studio issued a statement on behalf of WB and DeGeneres, confirming that it has launched an internal inquiry. As part of the investigation, the studio has been interviewing current and former Ellen Show employees about their experiences after BuzzFeed News’ scathing report about the show’s toxic work culture, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management,” the statement said. “We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised, and are taking the first steps to implement them. Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres are all committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion. We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.”
The show is expected to go through a number of staffing changes, with THR reporting that Ed Glavin, one of the show’s three executive producers, is likely to leave. He was also named in multiple complaints in the BuzzFeed report.
DeGeneres apologized in a letter to her show’s team: “Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show,” she wrote.
She indicated she wasn’t involved in the incidents that led to this moment, writing, “I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done.” She added that because her “name is on the show and everything we do … I take responsibility for that.”
She pledged to make changes: “I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again,” she wrote.
The original BuzzFeed report from July 16 substantiated allegations of a toxic work culture at the Ellen Show with anonymous testimonials from one current and 10 former employees, who dealt with racism, bullying, and intimidation. Following the report, Glavin and the show’s two other executive producers, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner issued a statement.
Just after DeGeneres’s email and Warner Bros.’ statement went public, BuzzFeed published another report, where three dozen former Ellen employees lodged more misconduct allegations against Glavin, and other senior producers on the show, like head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman. The claims included groping and kissing, soliciting oral sex from staffers, and “being handsy with women.”
Read Warner Bros.’ statement in full below.
Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres take the recent allegations around the show’s workplace culture very seriously. We hoped to determine the validity and extent of publicly reported allegations and to understand the full breadth of the show’s day-to-day culture. As a result, WarnerMedia interviewed dozens of current and former employees about the environment at The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It was important to both Warner Bros. and Ellen that as many people as possible attached to the program could be heard. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world. And though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management. We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised, and are taking the first steps to implement them. Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres are all committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion. We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.
