Ellen DeGeneres called out by employees for a toxic work environment
Hollywood stars, employees accused talk show host of having a toxic work environment. Fox News’ Carley Shimkus reports on the accusations against Ellen DeGeneres.
Ellen DeGeneres faces renewed criticism after fresh accusations surfaced this week about her alleged toxic behavior on her long-running daytime talk show.
A former cameraman on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" accused the television host of fostering a hostile workplace where staffers lived in fear and sometimes had to give up family commitments.
According to staffers, DeGeneres, 67, disliked male employees and allegedly turned cold when they interacted with her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, 52. Crew members also recalled what insiders called the infamous "Ellen gaze."
Ellen DeGeneres faces new accusations of toxic workplace behavior from former talk show employees who describe a hostile environment. (Brooks Kraft)
One former staffer described the look as "a queen searching for her next execution," adding, "She was terrifying."
De Rossi was described as "nice" and approachable with the crew, but employees said their jobs felt at risk if DeGeneres saw them chatting with her spouse.
"You just hoped and prayed you weren’t seated by her wife, so you didn’t get her attention," the ex-staffer told the Daily Mail Tuesday.
"We went through a lot of male employees," the former staffer continued, alleging that DeGeneres once burned through nine stage managers in a single season.
"We had a feeling she really didn’t like guys."
Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres married in 2008. (Getty Images)
Celebrity guests also faced difficulties on the set of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," according to former employees.
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The insider claimed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was banned from returning after a tense cooking segment in which he embarrassed DeGeneres by saying she used rancid meat during a demo.
"He gave her some quip. They were doing a food test together, and Ellen offered him a sample first," the former employee recalled. "As soon as he bit in, he said, ‘This is rubbish. This is disgusting.’ She didn’t like the reaction. It was about eight seasons before he came back."
The insider claimed to the Daily Mail that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was banned from returning after a tense cooking segment. (FOX via Getty Images)
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Reps for Ramsay did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
One senior employee was allegedly asked to postpone a child’s bone marrow transplant to avoid disrupting the show’s production schedule. It remains unclear whether DeGeneres was aware of the situation.
Ellen DeGeneres confirmed her move to the U.K. was made permanent after Donald Trump's 2024 re-election. (Getty Images)
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Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons, a former "Ellen" writer, reinforced the claims, labeling his ex-boss a "control freak" who oversaw a toxic environment.
"A lot of crying in the hallways," he alleged during a podcast appearance.
The latest allegations revive the backlash that hit DeGeneres in 2020, when several ex-employees accused the show of racism, intimidation and retaliation.
DeGeneres apologized on-air at the time, saying she had been unaware of the environment.
In 2022, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" ended after 19 seasons. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Live Nation)
The uproar led to an internal investigation. In July 2020, BuzzFeed News reported that current and former employees blamed three producers for creating a culture of fear.
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Warner Bros. told Fox News at the time it "takes the recent allegations around the show’s workplace culture very seriously" and conducted interviews with staff to assess conditions.
In 2022, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" ended after 19 seasons.
She referenced the allegations in her 2024 comedy special, "Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval." There, she said, "I got kicked out of show business for being mean. Next time, I’ll be kicked out for being old. Old, gay and mean, the triple crown.
"I used to say, ‘I don’t care what people say about me.' Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity. I am many things, but I am not mean."
By 2025, DeGeneres had moved to the U.K. countryside, claiming she was the victim of "misogynistic" backlash after Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election.
Reps for DeGeneres did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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