Ellen DeGeneres Lost More Than 1 Million Viewers After Toxic Workplace Claims

Ellen DeGeneres Lost More Than 1 Million Viewers After Toxic Workplace Claims

The scandal that hit Ellen DeGeneres’s daytime talk show last year could have cost her more than 1 million viewers.

Ellen DeGeneres and her staff were under fire after claims of racism, sexual assault, and a toxic environment on set made headlines, leading to an investigation.

A former Black female employer alleged:

“I was told, ‘Oh wow, you both have box braids; I hope we don’t get you confused.’ [And at a work party, one of the writers said,] ‘I’m sorry, I only know the names of the white people who work here.’”

“Whenever I brought up an issue to my white male boss, he would bring up some random story about some random Black friend that he had and how they managed to get over stuff. He would use his Black friend as some way to say, ‘I understand your struggle.’ But it was all performative bullsh*t.”

Fans and critics tuned in to watch Ellen DeGeneres’ apology in response to the allegations at the start of the 18th season in September. That episode brought in the highest ratings the show has had in four years. But after that, people stopped watching. The show has suffered a decline of 1.1 million viewers this season, according to a Nielsen report from The New York Times.

The last six months have averaged 1.5 million viewers, while 2.6 million people tuned in this time last year.

But, all isn’t lost.

David McGuire, an executive vice president of Programming at Warner Bros. company Telepictures said:

“‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ remains one of the top three highest-rated syndicated talk shows this season.”

He also pointed to the pandemic and a change in viewer habits as a reason the show has seen a hit.

“While broadcast is down across the board and Covid has been challenging for production, we are looking forward to bringing back our live audiences and a 19th season filled with all of the hilarious and heartwarming moments that have made ‘Ellen’ one of the longest running and most successful talk shows in history.”

What are your thoughts on Ellen losing more than 1 million viewers? Comment and let us know.