Ellen DeGeneres reveals she will be ‘talking to my fans’ as she steps out amid firing of producers

Ellen DeGeneres revealed that she would be doing damage control by updating her fans on the status of her television series following a lunch in Santa Barbara on Saturday. 

The 62-year-old talk show host was seen departing a restaurant in the Southern California city with a female friend amid claims that she allowed a ‘toxic’ workplace to fester at The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

When asked about how her show would look following the firings of three top producers, the comedian simply said, ‘I will be talking to my fans,’ before departing.

Ellen kept her lunch look casual with a white button up shirt and a set of baggy olive cargo pants.

The stand-up star paired them with brilliant white trainers, and she blocked out the sun with a set of aviator sunglasses. 

Ellen’s friend was dressed similarly in a white shirt, though she wore simple khakis and tan loafers with it.

Both women wore cloth masks over their faces to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus amid a surge in California, though Ellen removed hers once she was near her car and more than six feet away from others.

On Monday, Warner Bros. Television announced that three senior producers had been fired from Ellen’s show: Ed Glavin, one of the executive producers, Jonathan Norman, a co-executive producer, and Kevin Leman, the show’s head writer.

They were fired following an investigation instigated by descriptions of a ‘toxic work culture’ in a BuzzFeed News investigation.

Employees described working in a culture rife with ‘racism, fear and intimidation.’

Much of the employees’ ire was directed at Glavin, along with the producers Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, but Connelly and Lassner both retained their jobs and will continue to work in the same roles.

Leman was accused by multiple employees of sexual harassment, though he denied any improper behavior.

Ellen addressed her staff on Monday via video chat to announce the firings, while also revealing that the show’s DJ Steven Laurel Boss had been promoted to executive producer.

The comedian offered up a second apology to her employees on the same video call, following an earlier apology in July in which she presented the misconduct allegations as something that she wasn’t aware of.

Ellen is under contract to continue hosting The Ellen DeGeneres Show for Warner Bros. Television through 2022, and she recently inked a new deal to develop three shows for WarnerMedia’s new streaming platform HBO Max.

Though much of the misconduct was alleged to come from her top staff, the focus has turned to Ellen’s own behavior in recent days.

On Friday, Modern Family star Sofia Vergara responded after a clip of Ellen poking fun at her accent resurfaced.

The Colombian-born actress claimed they were just ‘two comedians having fun with each other to entertain.’

‘I was never a victim guys,’ Sofia continued. ‘I was always in on the joke.’

Comedian Kevin Hart also came to his friend Ellen’s defense and claimed she and her staff had always been kind to him and his own employees, though she was never accused of mistreating people she considered her equals.