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Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres apologizes over toxic workplace allegations

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Maggy Donaldson, Agence France Presse

NEW YORK, United States - Ellen DeGeneres on Monday opened the 18th season of her talk show that&#x27;s been mired in controversy for months with a broad apology that addressed allegations of a toxic workplace culture under her watch.It was the first time the staple of daytime US television publicly addressed the controversy surrounding her, after BuzzFeed News published a report over the summer detailing a culture of fear among her employees that included accusations of sexual misconduct, racism and intimidation from the show&#x27;s management.The scathing reports followed rumors and anecdotal posts on social media that DeGeneres was difficult to work with -- and not nearly as nice as her feel-good show portrayed her to be.&quot;I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I&#x27;m in a position of privilege and power and I realized that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show,&quot; DeGeneres said in her opening monologue, released online ahead of its broadcast later Monday.DeGeneres said her program was kicking off a &quot;new chapter&quot; after &quot;necessary changes&quot; following an internal investigation from parent company Warner Media, though she did not go into detail on any of the restructuring.In August three high-level producers were let go: an executive producer Ed Glavin, a co-executive producer Jonathan Norman, and head writer Kevin Leman.The long-time comedian, actor and host also joked that she was in a tough position given her reputation as the &quot;be kind&quot; lady, a nickname she said she earned after she urged kindness following the 2010 suicide of a young man who was bullied for being gay.&quot;Being known as the &#x27;be kind&#x27; lady is a tricky position to be in,&quot; DeGeneres said. &quot;So let me give you some advice out there if anybody&#x27;s thinking of changing their title or giving yourself a nickname, do not go with the &#x27;be kind&#x27; lady. Don&#x27;t do it.&quot;&quot;The truth is I am that person that you see on TV,&quot; she continued, denying allegations that offstage her personality was a far cry from the sunny persona she has crafted onstage. <div>&#x27;A PLATITUDE&#x27;</div>DeGeneres, 62, made waves in 1997 after becoming one of the first television stars to publicly come out as gay, which she did while starring in the sitcom &quot;Ellen.&quot;Last year, prior to the scandal surrounding her eponymous show, she renewed her hosting contract through 2022, also inking a deal to create three shows for the streaming platform HBO Max.DeGeneres had returned to her California studio for Monday&#x27;s premiere, with a virtual audience on rows of screens due to the coronavirus pandemic.DeGeneres circulated her monologue online, though many social media users mocked her -- the line &quot;I am a work in progress&quot; was particularly skewered -- saying her words rang hollow.&quot;It&#x27;s hard not to feel as though an opportunity was missed here,&quot; wrote Daniel D&#x27;Addario, chief television critic for entertainment outlet Variety.&quot;DeGeneres&#x27; attempt to clear the air fell painfully flat in part because of her unwillingness to engage with her critics in anything more meaningful than a platitude,&quot; he said.

Ellen DeGeneres on Monday opened the 18th season of her talk show that's been mired in controversy for months with a broad apology that addressed allegations of a toxic workplace culture under her watch.

Ellen DeGeneres on Monday opened the 18th season of her talk show that's been mired in controversy for months with a broad apology that addressed allegations of a toxic workplace culture under her watch.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres apologizes over toxic workplace allegations

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Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres apologizes over toxic workplace allegations

Maggy Donaldson,

Agence France Presse

Published September 22, 2020 09:47 AM PHT

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Updated September 22, 2020 09:48 AM PHT

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