Ellen DeGeneres is a comedian and long-tenured talk-show host that broke many barriers for LGBT people. In the 90s, she came out openly as gay, which led to the cancellation of her sitcom and a couple of rough years in showbusiness.
Her career took off after her voice acting as forgetful fish Dory in Pixar’s Finding Nemo animated blockbuster. Then, she got a talk show, and for 18 years, Ellen DeGeneres Show was among the top three highest-rated talks shows.
And then, the public picture of “place of happiness “shattered under a slew of accusations about toxic workplace atmosphere and mistreatment of staff. Even some former guests came out confirming the real Ellen is far from an on-screen character.
The Meteoric Rise and A-list of Guests
Ellen debuted in 2003, and the show started with one of the biggest guest stars Jennifer Aniston who then starred in the final season of Friends sitcom. The show got 11 Emmy nominees for the first season, and viewership continues to rise.
In the show’s 19 seasons, it would be hard to find celebrity guests that didn’t come to her studio. In the prime, Ellen DeGeneres Show had an average of 4.2 million, and with guests like Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Bon Jovi from the music business, or Brad Pitt, Will Smith, George Clooney, Meryl Streep, John Travolta, Sofia Vergara and other actors. In addition, many other stars and celebrities like Serena Williams, Michelle and Barack Obama, Joe Biden and others came to the studio.
The show inspired numerous other products, like books, merchandise and even igaming product like Laugh.Dance.Play video and online slots.
What Went Wrong With Ellen’s Show?
But, why did the below talk-show host fell from the pedestal? In 2019 numerous accusations about her behaviour surfaced, and former staff members and some guests joined the bandwagon.
The first problems were not work-related. Ellen sat with former president George W. Bush at the Dallas Cowboys game. As an LGBTQ ambassador, she got a ton of backlash online. President Bush had several anti-gay legislation and was responsible for the war in Iraq that America launched under false basis about hidden weapons of mass destruction.
More than sitting with the former president, Ellen got crushed by comments about not being nice. Her motto is “be kind to everyone, “and trans beauty blogger Nikkie de Jager first debunked that side of Ellen’s personality. Instead, de Jager claimed Ellen was “cold and distant. “Comedian Kevin T. Porter tweeted later that year about Ellen being one of the meanest people alive.
And then the flood gates opened. The staff members shared information about her behaviour. Allegedly no one could say hi to Ellen first, and she was not saying hi to the staff at all. People who worked on the show reported a toxic atmosphere, bizarre surveillance over the food staffers eat, and bullying from her and her top three producers who lost their jobs in the meantime.
Adding to the fire, Ellen had the most awkward interview with Dakota Johnson in 2019. Ellen accused Dakota of not inviting her to the birthday party, and she responded that she did ask her. Another ill-advised move from Ellen was during the pandemic when she compared her being at home with jail which came out as insensitive from someone in the multi-million mansion.
All this led to a massive drop in ratings and viewership, and Ellen announced recently that the show’s next season would be the last. The show had 1.5 million viewers compared to 2.6 million from the previous year. In addition, a 43 percent decline contributed to a 20% drop in advertisement money.
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