Ellen DeGeneres is facing fresh allegations of toxic behavior behind the scenes of her former daytime talk show, five years after the original workplace scandal first erupted.
A former cameraman who worked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show claimed that the host created a difficult environment, particularly for male staff members, and that she was uneasy when employees interacted too closely with her wife, Portia de Rossi.
“We went through a lot of male employees just in general,” the ex-staffer told the Daily Mail, alleging that in one season alone, nine stage managers were cycled through. “We had a feeling she really didn’t like guys.”
According to the cameraman, de Rossi herself was warm and approachable, but conversations with her could create problems. “You just hoped and prayed you weren’t seated by her wife, so you didn’t get her attention,” he said.
He described what staff came to know as the “Ellen gaze,” a piercing look he likened to “a queen looking for her next execution,” marked by narrowed eyes and sharp cheekbones.
The cameraman also recounted a clash between DeGeneres and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, saying the host was offended after Ramsay allegedly criticized her for using rancid meat during a cooking segment. “She told one of her EPs, ‘Don’t let this guy on the show again,’” he said, adding that guests could be “uninvited” from appearances with little warning.
One of the more troubling stories involved a producer who, according to the cameraman, delayed a child’s critical surgery to accommodate the show’s production schedule.
“The kid had a major surgery, like a bone marrow transplant,” he claimed, explaining that staff were asked if the procedure could be rescheduled away from the holiday week. “It was all loyalty to the show, but no loyalty to staff.”
These new claims revive memories of the 2020 scandal, when dozens of former employees described a toxic workplace marked by fear and intimidation. At the time, DeGeneres publicly addressed the controversy at the start of her show’s new season.
“I learned that things happened here that never should’ve happened,” she said then. “I take that very seriously, and I want to say I’m so sorry to the people who were affected.”
The talk show ended in 2022 after 19 seasons, with DeGeneres insisting the decision was unrelated to the scandal. But these latest allegations suggest the shadow of her show’s behind-the-scenes culture still lingers long after the cameras stopped rolling.