Comedian-host Ellen DeGeneres will soon be back with the next edition of her popular chat show, and will not avoid talking about the recent toxic workplace allegations.
After ousting three producers amid internal allegations of racial insensitivity and sexual misconduct, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has scheduled its Season 18 premiere for September 21, reports variety.com.
“I can’t wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, we’re going to talk about it,” DeGeneres said while referring to the accusations.
Tiffany Haddish will be joining DeGeneres in the studio and help kick off the new season. It will be filmed from the studio with no in-studio audience, due to COVID health restrictions.
The show’s first week is slated to include guest appearances by Kerry Washington, Alec Baldwin, and Chrissy Teigen. The guest line-up through the month includes Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Adam Sandler and Orlando Bloom.
Executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, as well as co-executive producer Jonathan Norman, were asked to leave last month following the allegations.
In July, a report in BuzzFeed alleged racism and intimidation on the show. The piece was based on anonymous testimonials by one current and 10 former employees, who claimed to have faced racism, bullying and intimidation.
It also mentioned jokes about mistaking two Black female employees with the same hairstyle, as well as criticism of statements allegedly made to another staffer by executive producer Glavin.
Soon, DeGeneres addressed the issue, insisting that steps will be taken to correct it.
“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. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case,” DeGeneres wrote in a social media post.
“I could not have the success I’ve had without all of your contributions. My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros., we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again,” she added.
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