Ellen DeGeneres slammed by crew for increasing episodes after threatening 60% pay cut
Ellen DeGeneres has been conducting her talk show from the comfort of her mansion amid the coronavirus lockdown, much like many other talk show hosts.
However, the move has not gone down well with her crew who are believed to be 'furious' given poor communication regarding their pay. The Ellen DeGeneres Show's main stage crew which consists of around 30 people received 'no communication' about issues like pay and working hours for over a month, a source shared with Variety.
The crew is also very angry after learning that the talk show host has hired a non-union tech company to help her broadcast daily from her home. Two insiders at Ellen's show also said that "higher-ups in production would occasionally answer phone calls but reveal little" regarding their status.
Crew members had only heard from production executives last week they were to expect a 60% decrease in their pay even while the show continues to air. Sources also revealed that there are only four of the core members who are working on the current version of Ellen.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. TV made it clear that the crew would still get paid though they confirmed their hours are reduced. The spokesperson added, "Our executive producers and Telepictures are committed to taking care of our staff and crew and have made decisions first and foremost with them in mind. "
However, sources still claim that from late March until April 9, they were not told how much they would be paid. At the time of the communication 'blackout', Ellen expanded her filming from four to five episodes all of which were shot over a two day period at her home.
Around the same time, Ellen had hired Key Code Media in order to produce 'technical elements' of the show's new remote production while crew members with the same skill set did not work. A WB spokesperson shared, "Due to social distancing requirements, technical changes in the way the show is produced had to be made to comply with city ordinances and public health protocols."
They clarified that no member of Ellen's crew had been fired because of the hiring of the Key Code. Crew members also shared that what was most upsetting was the 'lack of personal outreach' from the leadership during this crisis.
Just last month we had reported that comedian Kevin T Porter asked his fans and followers to share their "most insane" stories about talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as a means to raise money for charity.
One social media user had shared, "I worked @RealFoodDaily, served her & [Portia de Rossi] at brunch. She wrote a letter to the owner & complained about my chipped nail polish. Not that it was on her plate but just that it was on my hand. I had worked till closing the night before & this was next morn, almost got me fired."
TV writer Benjamin Siemon added how he had heard that Ellen was not the nicest person. "She has a ‘sensitive nose’ so everyone must chew gum from a bowl outside her office before talking to her and if she thinks you smell that day you have to go home and shower," he revealed.
"A new staff member was told every day she picks someone different to really hate. It's not your fault, just suck it up for the day and she'll be mean to someone else the next day. They didn't believe it but it ended up being entirely true," Siemon added.