Ellen DeGeneres gave her most candid thoughts yet on the toxic workplace allegations that have dogged her since last summer in her second major interview to discuss ending her talk show after 19 seasons. Although DeGeneres has maintained an apologetic posture, claiming she was unaware of the issue (she fired three of her top producers as soon as the allegations were made public), the talk show host is now retaliating with her own allegations.
“It was too orchestrated, it was too coordinated,” DeGeneres told Savannah Guthrie on TODAY. “And also I have to say — if nobody else was saying it — it was really interesting because I’m a woman, and it did feel very misogynistic.”
DeGeneres repeated her earlier comments to The Hollywood Reporter that the accusations are not the reason she is leaving the show, but she did confess that the situation almost caused her not to return for Ellen’s 18th season. Via TODAY:
“I really did think about not coming back, because it was devastating. It started with attacks on me and attacking everything that I stand for and believe in and built my career around … I am a kind person. I am a person who likes to make people happy.”
Despite maintaining her “happy” persona while addressing the situation and apologizing her to employees, DeGeneres candidly revealed that the allegations did have a profound effect on her, particularly because she now says so many false things were said. “When something is coming back at me that I know is not true, I guess I could take one or two of those shots, but four months in a row took a toll on me.”
