'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' Season 18: Release date, cast and all you need to know about talk show returning amid 'toxic workplace' allegations
Ellen DeGeneres, who has long advocated being kind to everyone, recently came under fire over widespread allegations of a toxic work culture environment for employees on her talk show. Amid the ongoing scandal, the insanely popular 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' will kick off its Season 18 on Monday, September 21. This development comes after months of speculation about the chat show’s fate and backlash against the host.
According to Deadline, the daytime talk show will resume shooting from the Ellen stage on the Warner Bros lot without an in-studio audience due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. DeGeneres has also promised to address the toxic workplace scandal and allegations of racial insensitivity and sexual misconduct in the upcoming season. As it is set to hit television soon, here's everything you need to know about DeGeneres' upcoming talk show season:
Release date
The show is set to premiere on Monday, September 21.
Plot
The famous talk show is a combination of celebrity interviews, musical performances, audience participation games and segments spotlighting real people with extraordinary stories and talents. It is a fun and energetic show that features celebrity guests, spontaneous surprises and humor. Earlier seasons of the show have featured some really popular personalities like Julia Roberts, George Clooney, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Zac Efron, Lady Gaga, Priyanka Chopra and Dakota Johnson among many others.
Cast
Ellen DeGeneres
The show stars DeGeneres, who is one of America's most well-known comedians. She's also an advocate for LGBTQ rights. DeGeneres became a household name before starring on her own sitcom, 'Ellen'. In 1997, she came out as gay and became an advocate of LGBTQ rights. She has been the host of her multiple-Emmys-winning talk show 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' since 2003 and married girlfriend Portia de Rossi in 2008.
Guest lineup
Tiffany Haddish will join DeGeneres for the first episode of the upcoming season. The guest lineup for the premiere week includes Kerry Washington, Alec Baldwin and Chrissy Teigen. Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Adam Sandler and Orlando Bloom will be appearing later in September. Additionally, following his promotion to a co-executive producer, the show's house DJ Stephen "tWitch" Boss will also serve as a guest host in the new season.
News
The beloved talk show host has been hogging the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the last few months. Both DeGeneres and her talk show have been facing strong backlash following complaints by current and former staff members about a hostile work environment that included racism and mistreatment by upper management. Several employees have also alleged sexual misconduct by some of the show's top executive producers.
The allegations detailed in an explosive Buzzfeed report mainly called out head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman, who has been accused of groping. A few others have alleged that they were inappropriately touched by producer Ed Glavin. Claims of the famous comedian being mean-spirited have also come to the fore.
Following allegations of a toxic workplace environment, WarnerMedia initiated an internal investigation. Last month, executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman were all ousted from the popular talk show following accusations leveled against them by current and former staffers. DeGeneres, who penned a letter to the show's staff, apologizing and addressing the allegations of workplace toxicity, recently said that she will open up about the allegations in the upcoming season. "I can’t wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, we’re gonna talk about it," DeGeneres said, reported Deadline.
Trailer
We will update this article once a trailer drops.
Where to watch
Visit Ellen's official site to see where you can watch 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'.
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