Ellen DeGeneres addressed toxic workplace allegations on show’s season premiere – ‘I am a work in progress’

Ellen DeGeneres returns to the air Monday for the 18th season of her talk show and will address being a bad boss.

The longtime talk show host spent the summer fending off allegations of mistreatment and toxicity behind the scenes that led to a formal Warner Bros. investigation and the ousting of three of the show’s top producers.

But DeGeneres implied that she had no idea any of this was going on at her own show.

“I learned that things happened here that never should have happened,” DeGeneres said in her seven-minute opening monologue on Monday’s show, which was released prior to the show’s airing. “I take that every seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I am in a position of privilege and power and I realize that with that comes responsibility and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.

“This is ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.' I am Ellen DeGeneres.”

Current and former employees alleged racism, intimidation and a lack of communication, particularly during the coronavirus shutdown, in explosive articles from Buzzfeed and Variety.

“We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace and what we want for the future. We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter,” DeGeneres said, seemingly referring to the firing of executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, and co-EP Jonathan Norman, and the promotion of the show’s resident DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, to co-EP.

DeGeneres also danced around accusations about her own misbehavior, saying that "being known as the ‘be kind’ lady is a tricky position to be in.”

“The truth is I am that person that you see on TV. I am also a lot of other things. Sometimes I get sad. I get mad, I get impatient, I get frustrated. And I am working on all of that. I am a work in progress. And I’m especially working on the patience thing, and it’s not going well because it’s not happening fast enough," she said.

“My intention is to always be the best person I can be. If I’ve ever let someone down, if I’ve ever hurt their feelings, I am so sorry for that.”

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