The Ellen DeGeneres Show has become the subject of an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following numerous accounts of workplace problems on the long-running daytime series. Variety reports executives from show producer Telepictures and distributor Warner Bros. Television sent a memo to staffers last week saying they have tasked WarnerMedia’s employee relations group and a third party firm to interview current and former staffers about their experiences on set.
… In April, Variety reported on the treatment of legacy crew members during the coronavirus lockdown. In mid-July, BuzzFeed published a report alleging racism and intimidation on the show. BuzzFeed’s story contained a spectrum of accused racist behavior, from microagressions to jokes about mistaking two Black female employees with the same hairstyle, as well as criticism of statements allegedly made to another staffer by executive producer Ed Glavin. Glavin and fellow executive producers addressed the allegations in a joint statement to Buzzfeed: “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.”