Ellen DeGeneres ‘heartbroken’ as digital team staff laid off in restructuring post 'toxic' workplace outrage
Ellen DeGeneres has expressed her sorrow as Ellen Digital employees face mass layoffs following toxic workplace allegations. According to a staff member of the show, at least 17 employees who worked for Ellen Digital Ventures have been fired as part of restructuring at WarnerMedia. The team originally had 80 members.
In a virtual meeting held on Tuesday, November 10, Ellen along with executive producers Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly and executive vice president of programming at Warner Bros Television David McGuire spoke to the staff members. The talk show host said, “I obviously as am heartbroken as everybody, but we have to know that this is all for the good of EDV, and we need to keep this going because we have such a great team and we believe in y’all, and we will get through this just like we’ve gotten through all kinds of other things. Know that we believe in you and I know this is hard for y’all to hear, and we are here for you.”
She also added that it’s “really important” to her to expand the digital presence of the show, which has been running since 2003. “That’s really something that I intend on having long after the show is gone. That’s our focus to keep growing our content the way we’ve grown it. We’re on a path to do really, really well, and we should be proud. You should be proud of what you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished,” Ellen explained.
While Lassner said that although they had to lay off staff, they are optimistic about the future of Ellen Digital Ventures. “The key thing for all of us is that we are moving forward. We need to show WarnerMedia that we are a group worth keeping and we believe in you and we believe that there is only good coming. The election is soon behind us. That’s been a tough thing for everyone. Obviously we all had a bit of a rough summer. Unfortunately, as you know from every company, digital and streaming has taken a big hit during COVID. We are hoping to now turn the tide, and we feel that we’re in a position with that with all of you here,” Lassner added.
A current employee of the show told Buzzfeed that they were told that “Brands we were approaching were uneasy about being sponsors for this season because our organization is not a ‘be kind’ brand they thought it was. It could be COVID-related, but it also felt like a lot of fallout from the stories over the summer. It’s a combination and perfect storm of all of it and how one played into the next.”
Speaking to Buzzfeed, another employee said that these measures were being taken by management in light due to underperformance of the venture, falling merchandise sales and lack of viewership for its website and social media pages. They were also told that Ellen Digital was scaling back on future productions because it was losing advertisers, no new sponsors were coming in and brands that had already committed were trying to break their contracts.
The firing of employees comes months after news of a “toxic workplace” surfaced. A source even claimed that “during commercial breaks, Ellen would break out of her 'kind' character and sit moodily in silence on her couch, not acknowledging anyone.” “It was never a ‘kind’ place. Ellen’s ‘be kind’ philosophy was never mentioned to us when we were working. I'm speaking out because I'm worried the people who enabled that 'toxic environment' to happen have got away with it and they're still working there,” the source added.