The Ellen DeGeneres Show executives reportedly knew about the “toxic workplace environment” claims two years ago.
The chat show host has faced a lot of backlash in recent months, as a number of her current and former staff members have alleged they were subjected to a “toxic work environment” while working on the show.
A former and a current employee has now claimed that a complaint was filed with an industry union back in 2018 that alleged gender discrimination took place.
A spokesperson for the show’s distributor Warner Bros. confirmed the 2018 complaint in a statement to Buzzfeed News, but added that “there is nothing new or noteworthy about this issue.”
“It was investigated by an outside investigator and resolved with no merit to claims of gender discrimination,” the spokesperson told the publication.
“As previously stated, we are committed to changing the things that need to change and moving forward in a constructive and positive way.”
The controversy sparked an internal investigation by WarnerMedia, which resulted in the firing of her show’s top producers – Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman.
WarnerMedia is reportedly nearing the end of its investigation, with Ellen recently apologising to her staff for “hurting their feelings”.
According to PEOPLE, Ellen told employees she “wasn’t perfect” during an emotional video conference last Monday.
“I’m a multi-layered person, and I try to be the best person I can be and I try to learn from my mistakes,” she told them.
“I’m hearing that some people felt that I wasn’t kind or too short with them, or too impatient. I apologize to anybody if I’ve hurt your feelings in any way.”
An insider added: “Ellen was emotional, she was emphatic about making it better and making herself more available.”
“She acknowledged she can be introverted at times and she apologized if that was ever seen as hurtful.”
“They’re putting in real structures and resources for people so this never happens again and that is extremely important to Ellen. She was emotional seeing everybody. They’re family.”
Another source said Ellen told staff that “she’s been dying to see them, that she couldn’t because of the investigation and she really wanted them to hear from her that this is a reset, things are changing and things are going to be better moving forward. And she’s committed to that.”
