Ellen DeGeneres’ reputation is in tatters following weeks of accusations about workplace misconduct on her hit celebrity chat series.
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Earlier this year, The Ellen DeGeneres Show came under scrutiny after former and current staffers alleged the talk show host, along with her team of executive producers, created a “toxic” work place.
The disturbing claims reported by BuzzFeed and Variety have led the show’s distributors, WarnerMedia and Telepictures, to launch an investigation. Ellen herself even issued an apology letter to her staff last week stating she was “disappointed” about the claims and “sorry”, as she had always wanted her show to be “a place of happiness”.
Now, reports have emerged that our very own Aussie TV star, Grant Denyer, had a run-in with the talk show maven.
An insider has revealed to New Idea that Grant personally felt the wrath of Ellen and her production team when he hosted the ill-fated Aussie version of her game show, Game of Games.
In 2018, Network 10 obtained the licensing rights to create a local version of the hit US series, with popular host Grant at the helm.
However, the unique physical action premise of the show failed to translate to Australian audiences, resulting in dismal ratings. Ten confirmed the following year that it had been axed.
Now, a television insider has revealed that Grant “copped it massively” from Ellen’s inner circle because “his version of her show failed”.
“Ellen never gave him a personal call, I don’t think, but the feedback was filtered down and made very clear – she was not impressed,” the insider reveals. “I bet Grant has some stories to tell about Ellen!”
While Network Ten have chosen not to comment, our insider claims that Ellen and her team were also highly concerned about how the failure of Game of Games would affect her reputation.
“She is very protective of her brand and was super annoyed at the ratings,” reveals the insider. “She knows that she has a strong fan base in Australia and hated that this reflected badly on her.”
Meanwhile, former Today show executive producer Neil Breen confirmed last week that the Australian morning program also had its own “bizarre” encounter with Ellen and her producers when she visited in 2013.
Now a 4BC radio host, Neil explained that Ellen’s team “controlled everything” during the interview with celebrity reporter Richard Wilkins.
He revealed that Ellen’s producers also made explicit instructions about how to interact with her. “‘No-one is to talk to Ellen,” Neil recalled being told. “You don’t talk to her, you don’t approach her, you don’t look at her.”
Amid growing reports that she is likely to walk away from the talk show, another source told New Idea that it was only a matter of time before the beleaguered host’s “unacceptable behaviour toward staff and guests” finally caught up with her.
“I can’t believe it’s taken this long to be exposed,” says the source. “Ellen knows the future is looking bleak and she’s like a bear with a sore head.”
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