Seventeen years of dancing, loyal viewership and countless Emmys were not enough to save The Ellen Show amidst toxic workplace allegations.
The ‘Ellen’ Empire has fallen from grace, as viewership plummets by 50 per cent after staff members break their silence regarding sexual misconduct and racism behind the scenes.
In addition, three high-profile producers were fired after the allegations, in what appears to be the final blow to the acclaimed, award-winning talk show.
However, DeGeneres states that her reasoning for pulling the plug is due to a lack of ‘creative challenge’, not the allegations that have crushed her shows ratings…interesting.
Recent data from global marketing firm, Nielsen, showed that Ellen viewership dropped by 1.1 million people this year, bringing her 2.6 million viewership to 1.5 million viewers.
With humble beginnings as a stand-up comedian, Ellen skyrocketed to fame in the ’90s after coming out as a lesbian on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She was heralded as an icon within the LGBTQI community, paving the way for acceptance within broader society.
However, claims of bullying and rude behaviour have accumulated over time against the millionaire, from former colleagues, to talk-show guests.
Makeup artist and beauty guru, Nikkie de Jager, known on YouTube as NikkieTutorials, mentioned the disparity between Ellen’s onscreen persona and her offscreen aura.
#EllenDegeneresShow I, I, I, a self absorbed twat. Good riddance.
β Snow Leopard (@puckmonkey888) May 12, 2021
De Jager described Ellen as “cold and distant“, claiming that the host did not formally greet her before appearing on stage.
This follows a string of other celebrities, including Mark Ruffalo, Kathy Griffin and Dakota Johnson, who have had unfortunate interactions with Ellen or view her behaviour as questionable.
In a recent interview with Sunrise, former Ellen Show producer, Hedda Muskat spoke out against DeGeneres, stating that she was out of touch with her non-celebrity guests, making “snide remarks” about them off-air and that most guests who leave the show “feeling like crap”.
Muskat also believes that the show’s flailing ratings were the cause of viewers waking up to the host’s true nature.
Her ‘Be Kind’ mantra seems a tad ironic now.
Amidst the media flurry, there are mixed responses on Twitter regarding news of the shows end:
#EllenDegeneresShow termina despuΓ©s de que la acusaran de TΓXICA INMAMABLE !! Bye bye FELICIA !! π πΌπ€·π»ββοΈπ¬ππππ© https://t.co/1moricrLBW pic.twitter.com/HrEwwDvRPY
β JUANGABRIELA JACKSON (@YoZhoy) May 12, 2021
#EllenDeGeneres #EllenDegeneresShow
Goodbye, Ellen. Thanks so much for 19 years of one of the few talk shows I actually likedβ Summertime Sadness (@LetRefrain) May 13, 2021
After 18 seasons, it will be interesting to see what DeGeneres next career move will be. Either way, it might be best to follow the mantra of ‘be kind’.