Ellen DeGeneres attempted to address the problem. But at that point, the media sphere was already in a spin cycle against her with former celebrity guests and employees turning on her publicly.
Ratings dropped 37% and staffers were having trouble booking talent. The talk show was losing advertisers and publicists and clients were refusing to be booked.
Getting Coverage
According to “PageSix,” one publicist said he would not book his client on Ellen’s show out of fear of negative headlines.
The scandal was wreaking havoc on her, but for many was a saving grace as it shed a light on some serious issues that took place behind the scenes, Let’s take a peek into what happened to Ellen’s kind lady persona, from the perspective of everyone involved.
Ellen DeGeneres is the Angel of Kindness
The fan club adores her. For over a decade, A-listers have stood in line to land a guest spot and get some of Ellen’s trademark kindness rubbed off on them.
The show has close to 80 million Twitter followers. “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” YouTube channel is ranked in the top 50 worldwide for subscribers.
Ellen DeGeneres is Cruella de Vil
When the allegations against the show were published all over the Internet, people were shocked, angry, and confused. How could the kindness guru head a production be riddled with misconduct? It didn’t seem possible. The bulk of the chatter around Ellen and her show was generated on Twitter.
Talk show stalwart Jay Leno had her back, but not all celebrities had nice things to say. Andy Richter, another late-night staple we know as Conan O’Brien’s sidekick, did not take Leno’s side.
Jay Leno Tweets Some Love to Ellen
DeGeneres’ “be kind lady” public image was strung up like a piñata and a lot of people took a swing. Jay Leno was one person who gave her a hug instead. Referring to the scandal that blew up around “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Leno wrote, “I don’t discard a 40-year friendship on hearsay.”
He went on to show support writing, “The Ellen I know has raised over $125 million dollars for charity and has always been a kind and decent person.”