Perez Hilton lambasts Ellen DeGeneres as he addresses her ‘toxic’ workplace scandal

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Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton lambasts Ellen DeGeneres for ‘not taking accountability’ and ‘excellently placing the blame on others’ as he addresses her ‘toxic’ workplace scandal

By Jabeen Waheed For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton has slammed embattled TV host Ellen DeGeneres in the wake of accusations that she fostered a ‘toxic working environment’ behind the scenes of her hit show.

Speaking on PodcastOne Australia’s The Briefing on Monday, the 42-year-old admitted he was surprised the scandal didn’t erupt years earlier as he had frequently heard a conveyor belt of negative stories about the 62-year-old from those in the industry.

Late last month, Ellen wrote a substantial memo to her employees, saying that she and Warner Bros. are’ taking steps, together, to correct the issues’ – however, Perez has lambasted her for ‘placing the blame on others’ and ‘failing to take accountability’. 

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‘She needs to take accountability’: Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton [pictured] has slammed embattled TV host Ellen DeGeneres in the wake of accusations that she fostered a ‘toxic working environment’ behind the scenes of her hit show

Perez said: ‘I’m surprised that this hasn’t happened sooner because those in the industry have heard the stories about Ellen. What I have not heard about prior to 2020 was the work culture at her show.

‘I just thought the issue was Ellen. But as we’ve learned, and it has been confirmed by the show’s producers, that a lot of changes are going to be happening because inappropriate things took place for a decade-plus on the set of her show.’

‘She needs to take accountability, which I don’t know if she’s done very well yet. She did an excellent job of placing the blame on others!’

The Ellen DeGeneres Show is currently undergoing an internal investigation into allegations of on-set sexual misconduct, as well as workplace bullying.

Weighing in: Speaking on PodcastOne Australia's The Briefing on Monday, the 42-year-old admitted he was surprised the scandal didn't erupt years earlier as he had frequently heard a conveyor belt of negative stories about the 62-year-old [pictured] from those in the industry

Weighing in: Speaking on PodcastOne Australia’s The Briefing on Monday, the 42-year-old admitted he was surprised the scandal didn’t erupt years earlier as he had frequently heard a conveyor belt of negative stories about the 62-year-old [pictured] from those in the industry

'Everyone is treated with respect and professionalism': Perez has lambasted the 62-year-old for 'placing the blame on others' and 'failing to take accountability'

‘Everyone is treated with respect and professionalism’: Perez has lambasted the 62-year-old for ‘placing the blame on others’ and ‘failing to take accountability’

Perez continued to weigh in on the matter: ‘From multiple reports, she was in the room a lot of times when this one executive producer was screaming at people.

‘I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that screaming at somebody at a place of work is professional and it shouldn’t be tolerated.’

When asked about the allegations that Ellen wasn’t nice to work with, Perez continued: ‘I don’t think that’s the main issue a lot of people have with Ellen. From the things that I’ve read, the dozens of employees were disappointed for her not steering the ship in a much more positive direction.

'You don't hear these allegations against Oprah Winfrey!' Perez continued to weigh in on the matter, adding: 'From multiple reports, she was in the room a lot of times when this one executive producer was screaming at people'

‘You don’t hear these allegations against Oprah Winfrey!’ Perez continued to weigh in on the matter, adding: ‘From multiple reports, she was in the room a lot of times when this one executive producer was screaming at people’

‘These allegations, I’ve never heard them against Oprah Winfrey!’

Offering some final words, Perez said: ‘Working at a show like Ellen’s you expect long hours, you expect it to be consuming of your life – but you don’t expect to be propositioned sexually, or any of the other allegations that have been levied against the people that were in the position of power on the Ellen show.

‘You need to put on a good show, but you also need to make sure everyone is treated with respect and professionalism.’ 

Despite Perez’s criticism of the beleaguered host, a long list of celebrities have offered their support to Ellen amid her ‘toxic’ workplace scandal. 

BULLYING, RACISM AND A ‘TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT’: THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ELLEN

Ten former and one current member of Ellen’s staff alleged they were bullied, fired for attending family funerals or taking sick leave, while one woman claimed to have walked off the job after facing comments about her race.

‘That ‘be kind’ bulls*** only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show,’ one anonymous staff member said.

Staff said they were told not to talk to DeGeneres herself while she was on set, and that the day-to-day running of the show was left to producers.

The employees said they did not have first-hand experience of DeGeneres being unpleasant, but said she needs to take more responsibility for how her employees are treated.

However, allegations have mounted from other sources against the host herself – sparked by a Twitter thread from comedian Kevin T. Porter

Calling DeGeneres ‘notoriously one of the meanest people alive’, he asked people for ‘the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean’.

The tweet received 2,600 replies and saw Porter give $600 to an LA foodbank, after promising to donate $2 for every legitimate mean story.

Claims included that staff are required to chew gum before speaking to her because of her ‘sensitive nose’, and that she polices staff lunch orders and bans anyone from eating fish or meat.

Separately, security worker Tom Majercak – who was assigned to be Ellen’s bodyguard at the 2014 Oscars – said she was ‘sly’ and ‘demeaning’ to him.

‘Ellen is the one person that I’ve been assigned to – and I’ve been assigned to quite a few celebrities – that has never taken the time to say hi to me,’ he said.

‘She’s not the person she portrays to be that she’s playing off of society.’

Investigation: The Ellen DeGeneres Show is currently undergoing an internal investigation into allegations of on-set sexual misconduct, as well as workplace bullying

Investigation: The Ellen DeGeneres Show is currently undergoing an internal investigation into allegations of on-set sexual misconduct, as well as workplace bullying

The likes of Kevin Hart, Katy Perry, Ashton Kutcher, and Diane Keaton have defended Ellen by relaying their positive personal experiences of working with her.

One current and 10 former employees of the daytime chat show accused its three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, of ‘bullying’.

The executive producers issued a statement saying: ‘We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience.’ 

Ellen DeGeneres’ memo to her staff addressing mistreatment allegations

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

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