Former ‘Ellen’ Producer Calls DeGeneres ‘Toxic Host’
Written by SOURCE on August 4, 2020
Speaking to The Wrap, an ex-producer for the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hedda Muskat, added onto recent reports that working on Ellen’s show sucks.
The interview, published Monday, contained a line in which Muskat said she had never been around such a “toxic host.”
It comes just a few days after DeGeneres gave an apology for the work culture at her show. That apology was part of a statement, put out on behalf of her and Warner Bros., which was itself a response to a lengthy report from BuzzFeed News that detailed lots of complaints from anonymous former employees.
The Wrap piece writes that Muskat was one of those employees who spoke to BuzzFeed.
“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.”
In her interview with The Wrap, Muskat (who has also worked on The Howie Mandel Show and The Martin Short Show) had said that “I had never been around a toxic host.” She also said that an apology from DeGeneres would make no difference, and that “[Ellen] is who she is,” according to Mediaite.
Specifically named in the interview was producer Ed Glavin. Muskat contends that Glavin was a contributor to the negative work environment, and brought up an instance in which he flipped out on an employee to a point where his face got red. She said that after the incident the crew was “stunned” by the blow-up, and that Ellen was “the only one giggling.” She then claims Ellen stated, “Well, I guess every production needs their dog.” Muskat said she viewed the incident as a precursor of things to come.
“And from then we knew,” she said. “Ed was going to be the barking dog — her dog. You could just see everybody’s faces go stiff. We’re professionals; we’re adults. We don’t need a dog to get us to do our jobs.”
Glavin has also been accused of sexual harassment and “being handsy with women.” The Hollywood Reporter added that he’s likely to leave the show.
Muskat was let go from Ellen’s program in 2004. Shortly afterward she won an Emmy.
These latest allegations come after actors Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson publicly called out Ellen and said that it’s common knowledge that she treats employees poorly.
You can read the whole thing over at The Wrap.
As for those in the host’s corner, on Monday, DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi (who you’d probably expect to be in her corner), took to Instagram to give public support. Specifically, de Rossi shared an image saying, “I Stand By Ellen.” She paired that with a caption that said “To all our fans….we see you. Thank you for your support. #stopbotattacks.”
