Ellen DeGeneres Show Executive Producer Shuts Down Cancellation Rumors
An Ellen DeGeneres Show executive producer is setting the record straight on rumors surrounding the future of the longtime series.
Earlier this week, Andy Lassner spoke out on Twitter after a follower insinuated The Ellen DeGeneres Show was being canceled due to allegations made against Ellen DeGeneres' eponymous show.
"Me: I really think 2020 is gonna turn around and start getting better," Lassner captioned his post on Thursday, July 30. "2020: Lol, I'm gonna make your bed the epicenter."
"I seriously wish you well. If the Ellen show goes off the air due to all these allegations (I, personally, have stopped watching) I hope you are able to find employment quickly. Your twitter account always made me laugh," Lassner's Twitter follower commented on his post. "But we do disagree on one thing: #GoHabsGo."
He replied, "Nobody is going off the air."
Lassner's response came two weeks after news broke about the talk show's "toxic work environment."
On July 16, individuals, who remained anonymous out of fear of retribution, told Buzzfeed News that they faced microaggressions, were fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days and were subjected to favoritism by executive producers.
The Most Talked About Hollywood Scandals
While there weren't allegations made against Ellen herself, some individuals explained their experience with the star.
"People focus on rumors about how Ellen is mean and everything like that, but that's not the problem," one former employee told Buzzfeed News. "The issue is these three executive producers running the show who are in charge of all these people [and] who make the culture and are putting out this feeling of bullying and being mean.
"They feel that everybody who works at The Ellen Show is lucky to work there: 'So if you have a problem, you should leave because we'll hire someone else because everybody wants to work here,'" the former employee continued.
At the time of Buzzfeed News' exposé, executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Lassner told E! News they were taking the allegations "very seriously."
"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," they said in their joint statement. "For the record, the day to day responsibility of The Ellen Show is completely on us. We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better."
Furthermore, Warner Bros. has since launched an internal investigation.
Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported a memo was emailed to employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The email, according to their sources who had knowledge of its contents, stated that Warner Bros. was interviewing current and former staffers about their experience on the talk show.
On Thursday, July 30, Ellen broke her silence and seemingly addressed the allegations made against the talk show.
"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," the star wrote in a letter obtained by E! News.
"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... My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that," she continued. "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."
The same day Ellen shared her letter, Buzzfeed News published a new investigation. In the article, former employees anonymously claimed that executive producers engaged in sexual misconduct and harassment.
According to the publication, nearly a dozen former employees said it was common for one producer, whose name E! News didn't disclose, to make sexually explicit comments in the office. This producer denied the story's claims in a statement to us.
"BuzzFeed's filled with false claims that misrepresent me, my actions and all that I stand for. I categorically deny any kind of sexual impropriety," the producer's statement said in part. "I'm horrified that some of my attempts at humor may have caused offense."
Warner Bros. had no comment on Buzzfeed's latest story. Moreover, Ellen has yet to address the new claims.