‘Ellen’ Ousts 3 Producers After Misconduct Allegations, DJ tWitch Named Co-EP
Following allegations of misconduct and a toxic work environment behind the scenes at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, three executive producers have been booted from the series.
According to Deadline, the news that executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman along with co-executive producer Jonathan Norman had been fired was revealed in a Zoom staff meeting. Also with this shakeup, the show’s DJ, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, has reportedly been named a co-executive producer.
(Credit: ABC)
The staffing changes follow an investigation by WarnerMedia which was sparked following a Buzzfeed report in which several former and anonymous employees made claims against top execs of misconduct and other forms of abusive behavior.
Ellen DeGeneres was reportedly emotional during the meeting, noting that in order to make a show that makes others happy, employees also need to be happy. She is said to have promised to interact more with her staffers and was surprised to learn some employees were told to avoid making eye contact with her.
DeGeneres admitted she can be an introvert at times and acknowledged that her withdrawn behavior could be misconstrued as unfriendly because of it. “I try to be the best person I can be and try to learn from my mistakes,” DeGeneres reportedly said during the meeting.
Along with the ousting of Glavin, Leman, and Norman, changes are being made in order to improve the backstage environment, including the way issues of this nature are reported. Among the evidence uncovered in WarnerMedia’s investigation were incidents of racial insensitivity.
Remaining on board for the daytime talk show are executive producers Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, and Derek Westervelt. Only time will tell how those changes will impact the show moving forward. Stay tuned for updates as they’re reported.
