Ellen DeGeneres finally addresses workplace complaints
Ellen DeGeneres has reportedly sent a letter to all staff members, apologising to anyone who felt mistreated in the company.
It follows countless reports of workplace problems by former and current employees.
In the letter obtained by E! News, Ellen allegedly wrote about how disappointed these accounts have made her.
She recalled, '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.'
Ellen continued, '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.'
The talk show host acknowledged that her success wouldn't have been possible, 'without all of your contributions.'
'My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that.'
'I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again'
Ellen explained further, '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.'
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Ellen also wrote that the people who work for her are clearly, 'misrepresenting who [she is],' and she said, 'That has to stop.'
'As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or - worse - disregarded.'
'To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.'
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is a great example of one of the privileges many white people don’t even know they have.
Ellen finished her letter by saying she's grateful people felt, 'safe,' enough to share their experiences.
'Again, I'm so sorry to anyone who didn't have that experience,' she added.
Ellen finished, 'If not for COVID, I'd have done this in person, and I can't wait to be back on our stage and see you all then.'
Internal investigation
It was reported by Variety earlier this week that The Ellen Show was under internal investigation by Warner Media.
In a statement to E! News, Warner Bros. confirmed this, 'It was important to both Warner Bros. and Ellen that as many people as possible attached to the program could be heard.'
'The Ellen DeGeneres Show is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world.'
'And though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show's day-to-day management.'
The statement continued, 'We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised, and are taking the first steps to implement them.'
'We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.'
No further comment has been made.
