Here We Go! Ellen Degeneres Issues Half-Assed Apology To Her Staff In An Open Letter
Source - Dozens of former employees from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” have spoken out about several alleged incidents of sexual misconduct and harassment by top executives on the show, according to a Buzzfeed Newsreport on Thursday night.
Following the launch of an investigation into the workplace culture at her daytime talk show, Ellen DeGeneres has personally addressed her staff and apologized for numerous, unspecified transgressions on set.
A Warner Bros. spokesperson had no comment on Glavin, but did send a statement regarding the formal investigation, which Variety broke news of on Monday.
The note in full:
Hey everybody – it’s Ellen. On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.
I could not have the success I’ve had without all of your contributions. My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we’ve grown exponentially, 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. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.
I’m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop. As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or – worse – disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.
It’s been way too long, but we’re finally having conversations about fairness and justice. We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I’m glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention. I promise to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow. It’s important to me and to Warner Bros. that everyone who has something to say can speak up and feels safe doing so.
I am so proud of the work we do and the fun and joy we all help put out in the world. I want everyone at home to love our show and I want everyone who makes it to love working on it. Again, I’m so sorry to anyone who didn’t have that experience. If not for COVID, I’d have done this in person, and I can’t wait to be back on our stage and see you all then.
Stay safe and healthy.
Love,
Ellen
Well there you have it. The queen of mean has finally issued her statement. Did she personally write it? Of course not, someone on her team did, but that's not the point. The point is that this story has gotten big enough to where Ellen can no longer ignore it and that's delightful. The internet has made a big enough stink that she has to leave the protective bubble she's created for herself and address the allegations. Which has to be a nightmare for an A-list celebrity like Ellen...
I would've been okay with her apology if it wasn't for this paragraph...
I’m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop. As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or – worse – disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.
It's got this odd authoritarian vibe to it. "That has to stop." I also don't like how she reminds people that she nearly lost everything after coming out. Why even write that? It's like she's trying to get people to feel bad for her because people were mean twenty-five years ago even though she's got $350 million in the bank. Oh well, it would've been nice to see her directly take more responsibility, but I get why she didn't. There's no need.
You can read about how this whole things started here. We've covered it all on the blog. Happy Friday.