People’s Choice 2020: Ellen DeGeneres Thanks ‘Amazing Staff’ During Win After Backstage Controversy

The Ellen DeGeneres Show won the favorite Daytime Talk Show award at the E! People’s Choice Awards Sunday night, with host Ellen DeGeneres thanking her “amazing” staff in her acceptance speech. DeGeneres’ decision to single out her staff followed a summer of controversy for the comedian, as the show’s executive producers faced allegations of workplace misconduct. Following an investigation, three senior producers were fired. DeGeneres’ award sparked a flurry of critical posts on social media from users who were stunned to see her still nominated despite the controversy.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, from deep, deep down in my heart. I thank you,” the Finding Dory star said as she picked up the award at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, reports E! News. “I am not only accepting this award for myself but on behalf of my amazing crew and staff who make the show possible they show up every single day, give 100 percent of themselves, 100 percent of the time.” DeGeneres said she loves them all and thanked her staff for “what they do every single day to help that show be the best that we try to make it every single day.”

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DeGeneres then turned to thank her fans for watching at home and voting for her. “Thanks for all of my fans for supporting me and sticking by me, I can’t tell you how grateful I am and what this means to mean, it’s more than I could possibly tell you, especially now,” she said. She also made a joke about cleaning the award before displaying it.

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Over the summer, DeGeneres’ show was hit with multiple allegations of a “toxic” workplace environment behind the scenes as multiple former employees spoke to BuzzFeed News. WarnerMedia began an independent investigation into the allegations, leading to the firings of executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman. DeGeneres addressed the allegations in the opening Season 18 monologue.

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“I learned that things happened here that never should have happened,” DeGeneres told viewers. “I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected.” She later added, “I take responsibility for what happens at my show. This is The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I am Ellen DeGeneres.”

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The comedian did not specifically address some of the allegations but said changes were made behind the scenes. “The truth is, I am that person that you see on TV. I am also a lot of other things,” DeGeneres said. “Sometimes I get sad. I get mad. I get anxious. I get frustrated. I get impatient. And I am working on all of that. I am a work in progress.”

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“Umm, why was she even a nominee? Did y’all forget how she treated her staff and EVERYONE?!” one person tweeted. Another revealed they voted for Kelly Clarkson. The other nominees for the Daytime Talk Show award were Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Red Table Talk, Today, The View, and The Wendy Williams Show.

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One person asked if everyone was going to start ignoring the allegations against DeGeneres’ producers. “How is she the winner?? Didn’t she just go through a bunch of [controversies]?” another person asked.