MUMBAI: Katy Perry is continuing to stick by Ellen DeGeneres.
The 35-year-old singer spoke to the Los Angeles Times and defended her decision to tweet her support for the 62-year-old talk show host amid allegations of The Ellen DeGeneres Show having a “toxic work environment.”
“I started that tweet off not undermining anyone else’s experience,” the 13-time Grammy nominee said. “I wanted to only speak from my own experience. I have over 100 million people that follow me on Twitter, so not everyone is going to agree with me. And I’m not here to make everyone agree with me.”
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Perry, who published the posts on Aug. 4., was one of several celebrities—including Kevin Hart, Ashton Kutcher and Diane Keaton—to stand by DeGeneres amid the accusations.
“I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experiences besides my own, but I want to acknowledge that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen & on the @theellenshow,” the “Roar” artist wrote at the time. “I think we all have witnessed the light & continual fight for equality she has brought to the world through her platform for decades. Sending you love & a hug friend @TheEllenShow.”
Last month, BuzzFeed News published a report in which one current and 10 former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show came forward anonymously with allegations about the treatment of staff members. For instance, a woman claimed she experienced microaggressions during her year and a half at Ellen, and other accusers alleged they faced intimidation. Executive producers Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner said in a statement to E! News that they are taking these claims “very seriously” and noted “the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us.”
No claims were made against DeGeneres; however, she addressed the allegations and issued an apology in a letter to her staff. An internal investigation was also launched. According to a statement shared by Warner Bros., WarnerMedia interviewed “dozens of current and former employees about the environment at The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world,” part of the statement read. “And though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management. We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised and are taking the first steps to implement them. Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres are all committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion. We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.”
BuzzFeed News also published a separate report at the end of July in which “dozens” of former employees accused executive producers of sexual misconduct or harassment. E! News did not name these producers. One producer denied “any kind of sexual impropriety,” and another is “100 percent categorically denying” the accusations. A third producer did not respond to a request for comment. Warner Bros. also declined to comment on specific allegations; however, the company told BuzzFeed News it “hoped to determine the validity and extent of publicly reported allegations and to understand the full breadth of the show’s day-to-day culture.”
After the outlet published the reports, a source who used to work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show told E! News, “I did not see anything out of the norm. There were definitely inappropriate things said. I wasn’t ever offended. I never felt any malice.”
“I don’t really have anything dramatic or outstanding in my time there,” the source added. “Having to stay after all the executive producers left for the day, often times they were just shooting the s–t until after 8 p.m, people getting yelled at because white boards weren’t done properly, that kind of stuff but not abusive. Inappropriate things were said that in this climate you can’t say now.”
