Ellen struggling to find A-listers for 'comeback tour' as she loses sponsors after workplace misconduct scandal
Months after Ellen DeGeneres returned with a new season of her talk show following accusations of being "mean" by former staff members and guests and the workplace being "toxic," the comedian has struggled to book big names in the entertainment industry -- something that was previously never an issue -- and has continued to lose sponsors and viewers.
According to a Buzzfeed report, some of the staff members of the Emmy-winning talk show claimed they were struggling to book A-list names and an increasing number of brands were pulling out of sponsorship. “For the first time, everyone was starting to ask us, ‘If you have an idea, tell us because we will listen," one of them told the outlet. “If you have an idea for a celeb, even if they’re not A-list or famous, we’ll take anyone who will bring us numbers and eyeballs.’”
The insider confessed: “That’s when they started to be real with us and essentially said, ‘Give us anything because we need help.’ Our old strategy doesn’t work anymore.” Another employee added: “We’re trying to be a content house, but we have no content.”
While the ongoing pandemic is posing issues for all talk shows, on-air hosts have adapted to the new normal and started interviewing guests over video conferences to keep up with the social-distancing protocol. However, DeGeneres' entertainment publicists anonymously confessed to “not booking as many of their clients” as she was typically known for doing in the past, even remotely.
“They also said some of their clients have specifically said they don’t want to appear on the show, even over videoconference," one informant said. “They also said they’re wary of booking their clients for the current season of Ellen because they don’t want them to be a part of ‘her comeback tour.'"
A separate PR rep confessed: “I wouldn’t set up anyone on her show right now to do anything that could possibly cause them more negative headlines. You have to tread so carefully with your clients and your clients’ reputations, so you don’t want to put your client in any line of fire sympathizing with someone that any community or anyone would feel bad about. We’re not going to align anyone with Ellen."
However, some of her close pals and loyalists like some members of the Kardashian family and stars like Bryan Cranston and Alec Baldwin have made reappearances on her show in recent weeks. The 'Finding Dory' star has also lost out on a massive amount of viewers since she launched the new season of her show. According to Nielsen, the show's ratings have dropped over 37% compared to last season. This was the steepest fall in viewership among all the talk shows - all of which have seen some decrease in viewership due to the pandemic.
Even her famous 12 Days Of Giveaways special, which has become a tradition during Christmas over the years, also came a cropper as they were left with limited options after many big brands refused to partner with the show post the emergence of a range of scandals. While some experts believe that it's the end of an era for once "nice" DeGeneres, others still believe that she will be able to bounce back from the accusations leveled against her.
Crisis management firm Red Banyan CEO Evan Nierman believe the pixie-cut blonde will bounce back from the scandal. “In the end, she’s going to be okay. Did she damage her brand? Yes," he said. “Has the shine worn off a bit? And does it seem like Ellen isn’t exactly who we all thought she was on camera? Sure. But she will be just fine.”