LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) – Actress Portia de Rossi defended Ellen DeGeneres on Monday (Aug 3) after a social media campaign called for the talk show host to step down, following reports of a hostile work environment for employees on set.
De Rossi, who has been married to DeGeneres for 12 years, posted an "I Stand By Ellen" hashtag on her Instagram account.
"To all our fans… we see you. Thank you for your support,"the former Ally McBeal (1997 to 2002) actress wrote on Monday.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003 to present) has won multiple Emmy awards, but both the talk show and DeGeneres herself have been under fire for weeks. There were complaints by former productions staffers about a hostile workplace that included racism and bullying by upper management and claims that the comedian is mean-spirited.
Warner Bros Television, which produces the talk show, conducted an internal investigation and said last week that staffing changes and other measures were being taken to address the issue.
DeGeneres also emailed staff, expressing regrets about the gulf between the show's happy public face and what was sometimes happening backstage.
Rather than damping criticism, the developments led to the #ReplaceEllen hashtag, which went viral on Monday. UsRead More – Source
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