Ellen DeGeneres first broke through as an extremely talented comedian. She made her first television appearance speaking to Johnny Carson after doing a stand-up routine. She got a sitcom in 1994 and in 1997, DeGeneres came out as gay.
DeGeneres received major public backlash after coming out and her sitcom was canceled. After years of trying to revive her career, DeGeneres started The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Not only would the show be successful, it would dominate the pop culture landscape for 19 seasons.
However, with that success also came controversy. DeGeneres' show became the center of toxic workplace allegations. DeGeneres' own character was also being called into question. Many famous friends rushed to defend DeGeneres, however, with Sofia Vergara being one of them.
Several People Accuse 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' Of Having A Toxic Workplace Environment
Throughout the summer of 2020, The Ellen DeGeneres Show was in the headlines due to allegations of a toxic workplace environment. DeGeneres herself addressed the issue in a conference call to her staff in August of that year. During the call, the comedian apologized for allowing the show to be run like a machine.
DeGeneres also confirmed that Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman, three of the show's executive producers, would no longer be working at the show. Her comments were similar to a memo DeGeneres sent to staff on July 30, amid an internal probe being conducted by Warner Bros.
"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. "And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show."
It wasn't just allegations of a toxic work environment that was trending online. Many began calling DeGeneres' character into question, speculating that she's a mean person.
Celebrities, however, came to DeGeneres' defense during this time. Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry, Kevin Hart, Diane Keaton, Jerry O'Connell and Scooter Braun all spoke about their positive experiences on the show.
DeGeneres' wife Portia de Rossi also spoke out in her defense on social media.
Sofia Vergara Comes To Ellen's Defense After Clips From Past Interviews Resurface Online
Another celebrity who came to DeGeneres' defense was actress Sofia Vergara. Vergara is best known for her role as Gloria in Modern Family. She has been a guest on DeGeneres' show many times over the years.
The banter between DeGeneres and Vergara has made her a favorite guest in the show's history. This banter included jokes by DeGeneres regarding Vergara's accent.
During the summer of 2020, clips of DeGeneres making fun of Vergara's accent resurfaced, with many using them as examples of DeGeneres being mean to Vergara.
In a tweet, Vergara clarified that she was always in on the joke.
"Two comedians having fun with each other to entertain," Vergara wrote. "I was never a victim guys, I was always in on the joke."
Vergara later returned to The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a guest in 2021.
Ellen Said The Hate She Was Receiving Felt 'Too Orchestrated'
In 2021, DeGeneres announced that she would be ending The Ellen DeGeneres Show after 19 seasons. The announcement came with a sit-down interview with the Today Show, where she described the moment she told her staff as an emotional experience.
"I'm glad that before it leaked, I got to tell my staff and my crew, from my own words - that they didn't hear it anyplace else," she said. "Because I haven't been sleeping. I've been trying to, you know, anticipate how to tell them and, you know, hope that everybody would take it okay. A lot of people were very emotional. I got emotional."
DeGeneres also shared some insight as to why she felt it was the right time to end the show.
"When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged — and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore," DeGeneres said.
She also discussed the controversy during the summer of 2020, saying it "destroyed" her.
"I’d be lying if I said it didn’t," DeGeneres said. "And it makes me really sad that there’s so much joy out there from negativity. It’s a culture now where there are just mean people, and it’s so foreign to me that people get joy out of that."
When DeGeneres was asked if it felt like she was getting "canceled," she made her thoughts clear.
"I felt like somebody had some kind of, you know? I mean, I really didn't understand it, I still don't understand it," she said. "Yeah, I thought something was going on like that, because it was too orchestrated, it was too coordinated."
DeGeneres added, "And, you know, people get picked on but for four months straight for me, and then for me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when, when all I've ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is, and how, what a happy place it is."
