Sofia Vergara defends Ellen after old clips of host mocking her accent surface: 'I was always in on the joke'
Ellen DeGeneres can't seem to catch a break, with one controversy following another. Earlier, reports surfaced that the talk show host has a very negative off-camera attitude with her staff and audience, which even labeled her a "mean host". Reports also claimed that her show has a toxic work environment. But Ellen’s currency seems to be plummeting even beyond that. Irked viewers of her show were outraged again when clips from the show resurfaced recently, and where Ellen can be seen mocking Sofia Vergara's accent and her English pronunciation. A Colombian-American actress, Vergara has Spanish roots and is among one of the highest-paid TV actresses after her stint in shows like 'Modern Family' and 'Meet the Browns'.
A string of old videos from her appearances on 'The Ellen Show' resurfaced on Twitter and many fans couldn't help but express their disappointment and disgust. It started with a compilation video of Ellen and Vergara's moments together. Once shared on the micro-blogging site, it went viral with over 49,000 retweets and 226,000 likes at the time of writing this report.
In one of the clips, the pair can be seen reminiscing about filming CoverGirl commercials together in 2015. In it, Ellen took friendly jabs at Vergara for her famously heavily-accented English. “They give her the hardest lines too because we have to describe what's in the CoverGirl makeup and she has such a hard time pronouncing any of the ingredients,” Ellen joked in the snippet. Vergara replied, “I think because you are much more famous than me and older than me so they give you a priority and you read the script first and then you're the one that makes me say those words because there's no way. They make her look pretty and make me say the important information.”
But on Friday, Vergara came to Ellen’s defense. She shared the same CoverGirl clip and said that she was not the victim there. She wrote, “Two comedians having fun with each other to entertain. I was never a victim guys, I was always in on the joke.”
Two comedians having fun with each other to entertain. I was never a victim guys, I was always in on the joke. https://t.co/mjUjPNRHlb
— Sofia Vergara (@SofiaVergara) August 21, 2020
Vergara isn't the only celebrity to come to Ellen's defense. In the middle of the controversy, several other celebrities including Kevin Hart, Ashton Kutcher, and Katy Perry defended Ellen and shared their positive experiences on the show. Things are looking up for Ellen on other aspects as well. On Thursday, Variety reported that she is “increasing staff benefits” like paid sick leave and a better medical leave policy for employees. The measures include “increased paid time off and a liberal medical leave policy” and are already having the desired effect of boosting morale, an insider said.
In a July letter to current staff members, Ellen addressed the emerging complaints in the press. "On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness -- no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect," Ellen wrote. "Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry."