A senior executive of Australia’s Today show says he was told not to look at or speak to Ellen DeGeneres when she appeared on the programme back in 2013.
Neil Breen, who now presents his own show, said Ellen’s staff were the only ones who were allowed to interact with her – and they ‘walked on eggshells’, laughing so loudly at her jokes during the interview that he had to tell them to be quiet.
He added that Ellen’s people dictated everything – from seating, to lighting, to how the interview would work – adding that he found the whole situation ‘bizarre’.
He spoke out as the 62-year-old American chat show host, whose philosophy is ‘be kind’, faces an investigation over allegations of racism, bullying and a ‘toxic environment’ behind the scenes of her show.
It comes as The Ellen DeGeneres Show faces an internal investigation following numerous allegations there is a ‘toxic’ and ‘bullying’ workplace culture.
Ellen, whose philosophy is ‘be kind to one another’, and her show are now subject to a probe by WarnerMedia, which will look into ‘staff experiences on set’.
An internal memo sent last week explained that current and former staff will be interviewed about claims of ‘mistreatment, racism and intimidation’ behind the scenes.
Ellen hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing herself.
The memo insisted that producers Telepictures and Warner Bros. Television are committed ‘to providing an environment where employees can flourish’.
Earlier this month, a number of employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show described it as a ‘toxic work environment’.
One current and 10 former employees of the daytime chat show accused the three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, of ‘bullying’.