Celebrities responding to Ellen DeGeneres claims, from Kevin Hart to Katy Perry

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Getty Images

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her long-running show are the subject of recent controversy, as employees have made claims about a toxic work environment - leading to an internal review of the show’s workplace culture and an apology from the comedian.

The controversy follows a viral Twitter thread about DeGeneres’ alleged poor behaviour and an internal statement by the host, released by Variety, in which she said “people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am” - adding that it had to “stop.”

Celebrities have since weighed in on the situation, with some like her wife Portia de Rossi and Katy Perry defending her as others such as Lea Thompson and Brad Garrett sharing their own criticisms. Others, like comedian Eric Andre, have even pitched themselves as her replacement after rumours that James Corden would be stepping in for her circulated.

(Getty)
(Getty)

For more on who’s spoken about the unfolding situation, read on.

Stars supporting Ellen DeGeneres

Portia de Rossi

(Getty IMages)
(Getty IMages)

Actor Portia de Rossi, who is also married to DeGeneres, posted a square saying that she stands by Ellen and thanked their supporters. She also hashtagged the post #stopbotattacks.

Katy Perry

Singer Katy Perry has appeared on Ellen’s show numerous times and she spoke out on behalf of the talk show host, saying she “only ever had positive takeaways.”

1/2 I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience besides my own but I want to acknowledge that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen & on the @theellenshow. I think we all have witnessed the light & continual fight for equality that she has brought 2/2 to the world through her platform for decades. Sending you love & a hug, friend @TheEllenShow ♥️

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart revealed he has a long friendship with DeGeneres, who he called “one of the dopest people on the f**king planet.” He defended her and also called out ‘cancel culture’, writing: “The internet has become a crazy world of negativity....we are falling in love with people’s downfall.”

Ashton Kutcher

The That 70s Show actor weighed in on the situation, saying that he and his team had been treated with “respect & kindness” by her.

Diane Keaton

Keaton shared a picture of herself with DeGeneres on the show, writing in full caps: “I ALWAYS ENJOYED MY VISITS TO THE ELLEN SHOW. I’VE SEEN HOW THE AUDIENCE EXUDES HAPPINESS AND GRATITUDE. SHE GIVES BACK TO SO MANY INCLUDING ME.”

Nacho Figueras

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I have been patiently waiting for someone with more authority than me to speak up about what a great human being @theellenshow is. I have been very lucky to be on that show many times and I can tell you that it is a very well run machine, everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved. I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters where she is nice to absolutely everyone, the guy serving the coffee, the person in the elevator, the security guy and the owner of the venue. Everyone loves her because that is who she is. She makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday and we cannot hit her because something may have not been perfect. No one is perfect, and we cannot control everything. So I stand for you my friend and I challenge all the amazing people that know you and call you a friend to say who you are. The world has become a very dangerous place because it seems that we cannot make anything right. If I am going to be criticized for defending someone that I think deserves to be defended then so be it. We are all so scared to say what we really think and it seems that we are only relevant if we say whatever the trending social media topic is. So... We love Ellen right? @jenniferaniston @jlo @michelleobama @pink @seanhayes @ladygaga @oprah @katyperry @justintimberlake and whoever else should be on this list which is really long.

A post shared by Ignacio Figueras (@nachofigueras) on Aug 2, 2020 at 8:26pm PDT

Polo player and close friend to Prince Harry Nacho Figueras weighed in on the situation, writing a post staunchly in defence of the show host before posting a follow up in which he praised her for “publicly [addressing] the matter and [is] working towards finding out what happened and fixing the problem.”

Scooter Braun

Braun, who manages high profile celebrities including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, called DeGeneres “kind, thoughtful, courageous” and said he was “sending love out to her.”

Stars in the middle ground

Rachel Bloom

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend showrunner and actor Rachel Bloom spoke from personal experience, having worked on programmes behind the scenes such as Saturday Night Live and Robot Chicken. Saying that she was “not saying this to put anyone on blast and that she wasn’t saying that “anywhere I’ve worked or guested on has been bad” - she said they were “two profoundly different experiences.”

She tweeted, “Just wanna say that I have both worked behind the scenes of tv shows and been the celebrity guest on them and the two experiences are very different. Having a good time being a guest does not necessarily have anything to do with the experiences of the employees.”

Yvette Nicole Brown

The Community star shared a Variety article about DeGeneres’ apology.

Busy Phillips

Phillips, who used to have her own talk show, said she doesn’t “give a F about who replaces Ellen” - recentering the conversation on the 2020 US election.

Eric Andre

Comedian Eric Andre launched a petition to “Make Eric Ellen.” Andre formerly hosted his own surreal, edgy talk show which is in every way the direct opposite of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He photoshopped Ellen’s hair onto his own face and her set into the background.

Stars criticising Ellen DeGeneres

Brad Garrett

Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett didn’t hold back on Twitter, as he shared a Variety article about the talk show’s current controversy. Saying the show’s alleged toxicity behind the scenes “comes from the top”, he added he knew “more than one who were treated horribly by her.”

Lea Thompson

Thompson responded to an article about DeGeneres’ behaviour, writing, “True story. It is.”