'Ellen' show producers respond to cancellation rumours
The producers behind Ellen Degeneres talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, have been forced to address rumours that the program is set to be cancelled, following recent allegations about the host’s ‘mean’ behaviour.
“Telepictures can confirm it’s untrue,” read a statement supplied to the New York Post.
The Ellen Degeneres Show has been on the air since 2013 and has won 61 Daytime Emmy Awards and 17 People's Choice Awards.
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In 2019, DeGeneres confirmed that the program had been renewed for three more years.
The 62-year-old has copped a barrage of backlash over the past few weeks, with both former and current staffers coming forward with reports about the TV star’s ‘cold’ and ‘false’ demeanour.
Tom Majercak, a former security guard who worked for DeGeneres and her family when she hosted the 2014 Academy Awards, alleged to Fox News that the star was ‘very cold’.
He claimed that while her wife Portia de Rossi was delightful to work with, Ellen didn’t engage at all beyond a ‘side glance out of her eye’, saying he was shocked to witness her ‘false facade’ drop away.
“It's bugged me for years,” he admitted. “I see this person come across as being very enlightened and positive and awesome and everybody loves her and is in awe and that's really not the case when you meet her in person.”
He added DeGeneres was the only celebrity he has ever worked with who didn’t greet him when introduced.
“She's not the person she portrays to be that she's playing off of society,” he said. “That's my opinion.”
Majercak’s opinion was echoed by another former staffer who told the New York Post: “The stories are all true!”
“Is she always nice? No.” They continued: “It irritates me that people think she’s all sweetness and light and she gets away with it,” they added.
DeGeneres, who famously ends her show telling viewers to “be kind to one another” first came up against allegations against her character in a Twitter thread, which asked people to respond with ‘insane stories’ they’d heard about Ellen ‘being mean’.
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Recently, staffers on the talk show have reported being left in the dark about their jobs and pay after the Ellen set was shut down during the coronavirus pandemic.
The host began shooting from home in a bid she said to keep staff employed but used a third-party crew instead of her usual employees.
Despite initial reports, however, employees did not lose their jobs and were simply given a pay cut until shooting returns to normal.
DeGeneres has not responded to the criticism, although it’s been claimed that she is struggling with the rumours, which just don’t seem to be going away.
“Ellen is at the end of her rope,” an insider told Us Weekly in mid-May.
“She thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters. But it’s not a passing thing — the hits just keep coming.”
With extra reporting by Sarah Carty.
