Ellen DeGeneres was reportedly “in tears” when speaking with her staff after the announcement of three firings according to Variety. The outlet was the first to report that a trio of executive producers for The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman — had been axed amid allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and a toxic workplace environment. The three producers who were terminated on Monday by Warner Bros. all were named in the July 30 Buzzfeed article that first revealed the heavy allegations.
The host reportedly spoke with about 200 staffers during a meeting on Monday, which is where the team learned of the firings. During the video conference call, DeGeneres was very emotional, even adding an apology for everything that has happened. The Hollywood Reporter obtained a letter she wrote to the staff, one in which she admitted that she is “not perfect.” In it, DeGeneres writes that she will learn from her mistakes but that she cares for all of her employees and is “grateful” for all that they contribute to her and the program. This comes after the host was said to have penned another letter to her staff, one that saw her express disappointment in learning that her intentions of creating a workplace people loved to come to had become the complete opposite.
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Exlcu w @Variety_Cynthia: I am told Ellen was in tears today as she delivered news to staff that three top producers have been dismissed from her show. That she has been heartbroken by reports of mistreatment and toxicity, and the show will “come back strong.” https://t.co/lJKE1e61hQ
— Matt Donnelly (@MattDonnelly) August 17, 2020
With three producers out of the fold, two of which had been with DeGeneres since the inception of the show, some heavy lifting will fall onto the shoulders of the remaining EPs, which includes Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Derek Westervelt. Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who has served as the show’s DJ, will also see a promotion as he becomes an executive producer. In that exclusive Variety story, the outlet revealed the show will continue to operate as scheduled with its Season 18 premiere still set for September. The only change, perhaps to give some extra time with all that has unfolded behind the scenes, is that the date has been pushed back nearly a week to Sept. 14 as opposed to Sept. 9.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show made its debut back in Sept. 2003. With Glavin and Leman out of the picture, that leaves Lassner and Connelly as the two producers who have been with DeGeneres since the beginning.
