It all started when some staff of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” revealed how the 62-year-old host left them and their job hanging at the height of the health crisis. It was followed up by allegations that Ellen was mean in real life and that her show does not embody the “be kind” slogan that she is promoting.
Things escalated quickly when a dozen ex-employees came forward and exposed the racism and toxic work culture around the famous talk show’s studio. It was even magnified when some staff named three-show executives and accused them of sexual assault.
Executives Sexual Misconduct
One of the three executives accused was the head writer and producer Kevin Leman allegedly harassing male employees. He is said to be requesting male staff to give him a hand job or oral sex, while others claim that Kevin is randomly grabbing male staff’s private parts.
Producer Ed Glavin, on the other hand, was accused of conducting sexual acts in the studio’s control room. Meanwhile, Jonathan Norman, who acts as the show’s co-executive producer, allegedly attempted to perform oral sex to one male employee.
After months of allegations, Ellen finally broke her silence and addressed the issue through a letter to her staff. While Ellen apologized for the employees’ awful experiences, she did not take full responsibility for the misconduct happening within her turf.
Because of this, the entire production team of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was subjected to an internal investigation, which eventually leads to the termination of Leman, Glavin, and Norman.
The Truth Behind Firing Executives
While kicking out the executives who committed sexual misconduct was the best thing that Ellen could do redeem the dignity of her “wholesome” talk show, it turns out that the host did not do it for the benefit of the majority.
Rumor has it that Ellen only used Leman, Glavin, and Norman to protect her million-dollar net worth. A source revealed that while the three were found guilty, Ellen fired them outright to save her cash flow.
Speaking to “Globe,” the source said that the host was given an ultimatum to fire the producers or lose the show a.k.a, her primary source of income.
“Ellen hopes that sackings are enough to save her from being forced to resign,” the insider said.
According to reports, Ellen DeGeneres’s net worth could be between $330 million to $490 as of 2020. So if someone told her that the only thing that salvages this richness is by sacking three employees of the show, we bet the host would gladly do it for her own benefit.
The insider claims that the situation also made Ellen paranoid as one wrong move could cost her entire empire.
“She hates that her potential guests are flocking to ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ and she’s angry her so-called pals for not rallying around her,” the source added.