Ellen DeGeneres’ chat show company told staff it was digging at negative workplace incidents of bullying and bias allegations.
Telepictures, a Warner Bros product. Entertainment, employees on the series told last week that WarnerMedia ‘s workplace engagement department and a third-party expert were hired to question current and former workers regarding their development interactions, according to a report from The Times.
The memo invited those contacted to freely partake in the secret phase, so that the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” might change the climate.
A spokeswoman for Warner Bros refused to comment. A spokeswoman for DeGeneres and the program, first stated by Variety, was not immediately available for clarification on the memo.
The push to obtain employee testimonies follows months during which DeGeneres quarantined at home amid the pandemic, but her show’s reportedly unflattering research has spill over into public view.
DeGeneres, whose tagline is “be kind to one another,” was met with a litany of accusations of poor conduct in a Twitter thread launched by actor Kevin T. Porter, staff concerns of being deserted during the closure, and an inquiry by BuzzFeed News into claims of bullying and sexism on the NBC talk show.
The present and former staff contacted by BuzzFeed complained of getting terminated for taking sick or bereavement leave; one claimed that she was a survivor of racial discrimination. Executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner assured BuzzFeed News they treated the workplace reports “very seriously” and they dedicated themselves to doing more.
“We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us,” the group said.
In April, executives of “Ellen” instructed the union workers to anticipate a 60 percent drop in wages when a nonunion outside software firm, Key Code, was employed to help with development while DeGeneres films shows on a set installed at her house, Variety said.
A bros warner. Television spokeswoman said at the time that members of the union team on the series were paying fairly, but at a decreased rate, after the pandemic struck. For the length of its 17-year tenure, others have been with the series, which has rendered DeGeneres one of the highest paying actors on TV. Comedian Porter solicited controversial DeGeneres reports in March to collect funds for the L.A. Banque de Meat.
NikkieTutorials, who performed on the series in January to speak about coming out as a transsexual, was outspoken about what a terrible time she had on the panel.
