‘The Devil Wears Prada’ but real: Former staffer on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’

Ellen DeGeneres went from being one of the most beloved talk show hosts to one of the most hated. It all started with tweets from celebrities claiming Ellen wasn’t as nice as she appeared on camera. Eventually, Ellen’s staff also accused the host of being “mean”.

Crew members of The Ellen DeGeneres Show have come forward during the past months with information about the difficult work environment. As a result, Warner decided to intervene and launch an investigation to deal with the workers’ complaints.

As if the scandal surrounding Ellen DeGeneres weren’t bad enough already, information about the work environment in The Ellen DeGeneres Show continues to surface. Here is the most recent claim.

Ellen Priestly

Miranda Priestly is one of the main characters from the movie The Devil Wears Prada, the editor-in-chief of an important fashion magazine. This character is well known as the hardest boss ever on the silver screen; Miranda Priestly expects all her employees to keep up with impossible standards, and those who don’t are looked down upon with extreme prejudice.

Every single person who works with Miranda fears her. While many also admire her, everyone around her struggles to keep her happy. The fashion industry is hard on its own, but Miranda’s evil regime doesn’t help at all. Employees crumble under the pressure most of the time.

Ellen, just like Miranda, created an environment that made it hard for her employees to enjoy their jobs. Recently, a former employee stated “I worked there for a little over a year. It’s kind of like The Devil Wears Prada. Everyone is trying to make it to the year [worked]. It’s just a badge of honor to have that and have it on your résumé.”

What it’s like to work for Ellen

Many of the experiences shared by ex-staffers are straight out of The Devil Wears Prada. We almost can’t believe no one had made a reference before. Working for Ellen DeGeneres allegedly implies having to leave the room when she walks in and being emotionally abused, snarled at, or fired for no apparent reason. 

Ellen released a statement saying she didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes. This is precisely what the show was supposedly about: being kind. However, as time goes by, more accusations against Ellen’s behavior in the workplace emerge that don’t match DeGeneres’s statement.

Some ex-employees have talked about the “toxic” workplace in The Ellen DeGeneres Show. This on its own doesn’t mean Ellen herself was responsible for bullying, although she should’ve been aware of the problems her staff faced. Nonetheless, former employees describe bad experiences directly with Ellen. The host also allegedly bullied her staff and expected them to keep away from her most of the time.

What will happen with The Ellen DeGeneres Show?

These aren’t good times for The Ellen DeGeneres Show. For one, its ratings reached an all-time low last month. Even though some are still willing to support Ellen, she has lost a great deal of her fanbase already.

Ellen isn’t giving up easily, though. Her wife Portia De Rossi recently reported DeGeneres is planning to continue The Ellen DeGeneres Show despite recent scandals. Even if the talk show continues airing, it doesn’t look like Ellen’s ratings will go back to normal any time soon. 

So far, only a few have argued in favor of Ellen. Quoted from Vice; trust in public figures is at an all-time low and nevertheless they relied on celebrity connections in a tone-deaf attempt to rehabilitate Ellen’s image after countless laypersons came forward to call out her personally abusive behavior. 

Naturally the plan boomeranged on both Ellen and her rich, famous supporters. Katy Perry shared her good experiences with Ellen only to have her pop music criticized by Ellen’s detractors. These “publicity professionals” have apparently never heard of the Streisand Effect. 

Accusations from former staff are serious, and fans will need to see more than anecdotes from other celebrities to consider looking past Ellen DeGeneres’s conduct.

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Ellen DeGeneres is in the public eye for all the wrong reasons. Here’s what Jay Leno has had to say about his friend Ellen’s current situation.