Reports of employees living in fear while Ellen DeGeneres was only nice to famous people continue to emerge.
Now, the work environment is being likened to The Devil Wears Prada.
From waiters she tried to get fired to her own employees, it seems like everyone has a horror story about Ellen.
Yet another former The Ellen Show staffer has spoken out.
This time, a woman who spoke anonymously with the Australian radio show Stav, Abby, & Matt, helped to explain the show's vibe.
"It's kind of like The Devil Wears Prada," the anonymous former staffer explained.
She added: "Everyone is trying to make it to the [end of a] year."
If you have never known the joy of that film, know that Meryl Streep's character plays an extremely toxic boss whose employees are heavily competitive with each other.
“It’s just a badge of honor to have that and have it on your resume,” the former staffer explains.
She adds that 10 hour days were sadly the norm for that show.
However, she emphasizes that the problems were "more than that."
The ex-staffer explained: "It'sb asic rights."
She lists two examples, like "being paid overtime" and "water on a hot day."
According to this former employee: “If you ask for that, you’re told, well, there’s the door.”
Ellen has since come out to state, in a letter sent to employees, that she apologizes for their treatment.
However, in the letter, she presents herself as having been ignorant to what was really happening on set.
She blamed trusting the wrong people to act as intermediaries for the culture of fear described by employees.
While a number of producers have been identified by distressed former staffers, they are not the sole sources of trouble.
Multiple stories have specifically involved Ellen.
This is also not said to be something that happened gradually over time, but apparently a culture that has been part of the workplace since the show was in development.
And Ellen's off-set behavior cannot be ignored, either.
Some of us (me, I'm some of us) had already heard anecdotes from those in the service industry who had felt the bitter sting of Ellen's wrath.
Being nice in interviews with famous people only to turn around and go Full Karen on helpless hotel staffers and waitresses is two-faced and toxic.
Ellen is a pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights, from pushing for representation for the community on television to being part of the face of the fight for marriage equality.
But that does not negate the horror stories about her behavior, both professionally and with service industry workers.
In fact, it arguably makes it worse -- staining a once-glowing legacy as an icon.
Some prominent celebrities have come out in support of Ellen, from Kevin Hart (whom she supported during his homophobia scandal) to Jay Leno (whose reported racism led to Gabrielle Union's firing).
But it's important to remember that even when (terrible) famous people have only seen her good side, that may not be the whole story.
We don't judge people by how they treat stars on camera, but how they treat powerless people when there are no cameras. We all wanted better than this from Ellen.
