How a conversation on I’m a Celebrity TWO YEARS ago ‘predicted Ellen DeGeneres’ downfall’ – as she ENDS her talk show after 19 seasons in the wake of ‘toxic workplace’ scandal
- Ellen is ending her talk show after 19 seasons and more than 3,000 episodes
- Ratings have plummeted after several former and current employees accused the host last year of fostering a toxic work environment
- ‘The ratings have tanked and have been truly appalling this year and Ellen knows her time is up,’ a source told DailyMail.com
- The 63-year-old’s reputation for ‘meanness’ was openly discussed more than two years ago on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia
- Soap actress Katherine Kelly Lang and entertainment reporter Richard Reid shared the rumours during a late-night conversation in January 2019
- At the time, there was some industry gossip about DeGeneres being unkind to employees, but no significant allegations had been made
- Multiple staffers have since claimed she was hostile on set and that crew members were warned not to talk to her or make eye contact
Talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres’ downfall was predicted on Australian reality show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! more than two years ago.
The 63-year-old’s reputation for ‘being mean’ was discussed by campmates in scenes that aired in January 2019 – offering evidence her ‘diva behaviour’, which many believe has led to her decline in popularity, was an open secret in Hollywood.
The scene resurfaced on Wednesday as DeGeneres announced she will be ending her talk show in 2022, after 19 seasons and more than 3,000 episodes.
The decision comes amid plummeting ratings and after several former and current employees accused the host last year of fostering a toxic workplace environment.
However, DeGeneres has denied she is ending the program because of the toxic workplace allegations, telling The Hollywood Reporter she wouldn’t have returned this year for a 19th season if that were the case.
Did they see it coming? Talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres’ downfall was predicted on Australian reality show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! more than two years ago
In the resurfaced scene from I’m a Celebrity, American gossip reporter Richard Reid and the Bold and the Beautiful star Katherine Kelly Lang shared the rumours they’d heard about DeGeneres during a late-night conversation about ‘molls’ in Hollywood.
‘Moll’, sometimes spelled ‘mole’, is an Australian slang term for a rude or unpleasant woman.
Lang and Reid claimed that DeGeneres – whose philosophy is ‘be kind to each other’ – was ‘very bossy’, ‘not nice’, and ‘completely different’ from her upbeat on-screen persona.
Their comments, which first aired on Network 10 in January 2019, had previously resurfaced in August 2020 after multiple staffers alleged that bullying, racism and sexual harassment were rampant behind the scenes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Open secret: The 63-year-old’s reputation for ‘being mean’ was discussed by campmates in scenes that aired in January 2019 – offering evidence her ‘diva behaviour’, which many believe has led to her decline in popularity, was an open secret in Hollywood
The conversation began when fellow campmate Angie Kent asked Lang, 59, who was the biggest ‘moll’ in showbusiness.
Reid, 56, whispered: ‘Ellen. Not nice.’
Lang agreed, saying: ‘She’s great to watch on her show and everything, but I think her personality is completely different when you get her behind the scenes.’
‘I’ve heard it’s hard to work on her show,’ Reid replied.
Claims: In the resurfaced scene from I’m a Celebrity, American gossip reporter Richard Reid (right) and the Bold and the Beautiful star Katherine Kelly Lang (left) shared the rumours they’d heard about DeGeneres during a late-night conversation about ‘molls’ in Hollywood. ‘Moll’ is an Australian slang term for a rude or unpleasant woman
Rumour has it: ‘She’s great to watch on her show and everything, but I think her personality is completely different when you get her behind the scenes,’ Lang said
‘Oh, because she’s very bossy or something?’ Lang asked, and Richard nodded.
Kent was clearly disappointed by the pair’s claims, muttering mournfully: ‘Wow… that’s really disappointing.’
Reid then said to Lang: ‘I’m glad to hear that somebody else has heard that.’
At the time, there was some industry gossip about DeGeneres being unkind to employees, but no significant allegations had been made.
Allegations: ‘I’ve heard it’s hard to work on her show,’ Reid said
Curious: The conversation began when former Gogglebox star Angie Kent (left) asked Lang (right) who was the biggest ‘moll’ in showbusiness
In an interview with the New York Times in December 2018, she branded the rumours about her prickly demeanour ‘outright lies’.
She said: ‘The first day I said, “The one thing I want is everyone here to be happy and proud of where they work, and if not, don’t work here.”
‘No one is going to raise their voice or not be grateful. That’s the rule to this day.’
‘Outright lies’: At the time, there was some industry gossip about DeGeneres being unkind to employees, but no serious allegations had been made. Pictured with her wife, Portia de Rossi
Last year, her popular daytime talk show faced an internal investigation following numerous allegations of a ‘toxic’ and ‘bullying’ workplace culture.
An internal memo explained that current and former staff were to be interviewed about claims of ‘mistreatment, racism and intimidation’ behind the scenes.
DeGeneres wasn’t accused of any wrongdoing herself.
Several previous employees claimed DeGeneres was unfriendly on set and that crew members were warned not to talk to her or make eye contact.
Bombshell: Their comments, which first aired on Network 10 in January 2019, had previously resurfaced in August 2020 after multiple staffers alleged that bullying, racism and sexual harassment were rampant behind the scenes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Announcing her decision to end her show after 19 seasons, DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday: ‘When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged. And as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore.’
She downplayed last year’s toxic workplace scandal, however, and insisted it was not a factor in her decision to wrap up the program.
‘It almost impacted the show,’ DeGeneres, who was not accused of wrongdoing herself but was blamed for allowing the issues to develop, told the trade publication.
‘It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season,’ she added.
Time to go: DeGeneres announced on Wednesday she will be ending her talk show in 2022, after 19 seasons and more than 3,000 episodes
DeGeneres, who is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi, has apparently been considering ending the show for several years.
Meanwhile, a source told DailyMail.com: ‘She’s promised one more season after this one and will exit at the end of the 2021/2022 season – the 19th season of the show.
‘The ratings have tanked and have been truly appalling this year and Ellen knows her time is up.’
The ratings for total households from February 2020 to February 2021 were down 40 per cent in New York City and Chicago; in Los Angeles she’s lost 59 per cent of viewers.
In Philly ratings in the same time period were down 32 per cent and in San Francisco she lost 50 per cent of viewers.
Since its season premiere in September, the show garnered an average of 1.5 million viewers by March – down 1.1 million from the same time-frame a year ago, which had 2.6 million average viewers.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show got off to a strong ratings start in September for her 18th season premiere when she addressed the scandal, but has seen a swift decline in the months since.
‘I learned that things happen here that never should have happened,’ Ellen said in her season premiere. ‘I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected.
‘I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility. I take responsibility for what happens at my show.’
Downplaying the scandal: DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter last year’s toxic-workplace scandal was not a factor in her decision to wrap up the program
‘This is me and my intention is to always be the best person I can be, and if I’ve ever let someone down, if I’ve ever hurt their feelings, I am so sorry for that,’ she said. ‘If that’s ever the case, I’ve let myself down and I’ve hurt myself as well because I always try to grow as a person.
‘I look at everything that comes into my life as an opportunity to learn. I got into this business to make people laugh and feel good, that’s my favorite thing to do.’
The claims of DeGeneres’ toxic work environment were revealed in July 2020 by one current and 10 former employees of the daytime talk show who accused three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, of ‘bullying’.
Executive producers Glavin, Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman were all fired from the popular talk show following the accusations leveled against them by current and former staffers.
Ellen came out with an apology after it was announced that her show was subject to a probe by WarnerMedia which looked into ‘staff experiences on set’.
The host sent her staff a memo in which she wrote she was ‘taking steps… to correct’ issues with her employees.
‘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. And for that, I am sorry,’ Ellen said in the memo.
‘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,’ she added. ‘That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again.’
Among the allegations was one made by a black woman who claimed she suffered a number of ‘microaggressions,’ her request for a raise was ignored and she was accused of ‘walking around looking resentful and angry’ after asking for staff members to undergo diversity and inclusion training.
Another former employee alleged they were fired after taking medical leave for one month following a suicide attempt.
A popular claim that circulated is that staff members were instructed not to speak to DeGeneres.
Some claims included that staff were required to chew gum before speaking to her because of her ‘sensitive nose’, and that she policed staff lunch orders and banned anyone from eating fish or meat.
Scrutiny: The claims of DeGeneres’ toxic work environment were revealed in July 2020 by one current and 10 former employees of the daytime talk show who accused three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, of ‘bullying’
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