Not sugarcoating it. Ellen DeGeneres is being called out by actor Brad Garrett for how she’s allegedly mistreated people over the years.
The 60-year-old Single Parents alum commented on DeGeneres’ own behavior as the behind-the-scenes drama on the daytime series continues to emerge. Garrett even tagged DeGeneres, 62, in his social media post.
“Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow,” the former Everybody Loves Raymond actor tweeted on Friday, July 31. “[I] know more than one [person] who were [sic] treated horribly by her. Common knowledge.”
Garrett’s remarks come as The Ellen DeGeneres Show is under an internal investigation. A report from BuzzFeed News earlier this month alleged a toxic work environment, with 10 former employees claiming they experienced racism, fear and intimidation while working on the popular show.
In the wake of the allegations, the Finding Dory star penned an apology letter to her staff. “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,” she wrote in an address obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, July 30. “Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. 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.”
DeGeneres’ apology, however, was followed by another BuzzFeed News report that exposed alleged sexual misconduct by the show’s top producers. Head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman was accused of making sexual advances, executive producer Ed Glavin was allegedly handsy with female staffers and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman was accused of grooming a former male employee in order to perform oral sex on him.
Leman and Norman both denied the allegations against them. Glavin, meanwhile, has not publicly addressed the alleged misconduct but Variety reported on Thursday that he’s soon set to leave his position.
As rumors about DeGeneres’ behavior began to emerge in April, a source exclusively told Us that the TV personality “thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters” at first. However, she realized that “it’s not a passing thing — the hits just keep coming.”
