When news broke out in mid-July that Ellen DeGeneres was accused of a toxic work environment by employees as well as guests on the show it came as a shock to many of us. The talk show host ends all her shows with her mantra “be kind to one another” but according to those who work on her set it has been anything but kind.

Some of the allegations of unfair treatment include the dismissal of employees who took medical leave, racial comments and discrimination in the workplace, microaggressions, intimidation, not being allowed to talk to DeGeneres and bullying. The list of allegations goes on and many employees were afraid to voice their concerns as they were threatened to be terminated if any rumors got out, so in order to keep their jobs many employees kept quiet out of fear.

Even celebrity guests are starting to speak out about their negative experiences on the talk show. YouTube beauty vlogger Nikke de Jager claims that when she was a guest on the show, DeGeneres was “cold and distant.” DeGeneres never came to meet de Jager in her dressing room prior to taping and also did not provide the guest with a private bathroom as it was “reserved for the Jonas Brothers.” Other celebrities did not share their encounters with the talk show host but recall the environment being harsh and watching employees and other guest on edge and walking on eggshells.

DeGeneres who had been hosting her show from home for the last several months during the pandemic, was allowed to resume production at their Burbank set in Warner Bros. Studios. She started her 18^th season with an apology claiming she was “unaware of the issues that had occurred, but they never should have happened” She apologized and made a promise to change. DeGeneres also addressed her own behavior saying that she is only human, and her emotions get the best of her sometimes but she will work on it, she also claimed to take full responsibility for actions taken by her producers who also had many allegations about their treatment of employees.

Three of the top producers on Ellen have been terminated from the set in August. DeGeneres also announced that long-time fan favorite Stephen “tWitch” Boss has been promoted to co-executive producer. A statement from WarnerMedia also supports claims that “DeGeneres is taking allegations around the shows culture very seriously.”