Ellen DeGeneres’s reputation as the perpetually sunny, rug-cutting host of daytime TV hit The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been shifting for a few years, sparked by her own words and actions, public encounters with others in the entertainment industry — including some familiar names — and, of course, social media.
Her employees’ claims last month that her set is a “toxic work environment,” with workers subjected to racism, sexual harassment and intimidation, as well as a subsequent internal investigation by Warner Bros. are only the latest developments. (For the record, DeGeneres has apologized and said her team is taking steps to correct the issue.)
Nov. 22, 2016: Kathy Griffin accuses DeGeneres of having ‘a mean streak’
Comedian Kathy Griffin, who appeared as a guest star on DeGeneres’s groundbreaking sitcom Ellen in 1996 and had reportedly feuded with her in the past, wrote in her memoir about a “beloved daytime talk show host” who has “a mean streak that all of Hollywood knows about.” She strongly hinted that it was DeGeneres when she described the woman as having short blonde hair. Then, while promoting the book, Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index, Griffin straight-up confirmed the not-so-nice woman was DeGeneres. She further revealed to the Hollywood Reporter a month later that DeGeneres had called her out on her words. It made Griffin break down in tears.
“The only angry call I got was from Ellen DeGeneres, which is, by the way, not fun to get when you’re like, a female comic who loves her and her accomplishments,” Griffin said. “She was extremely upset, and I think she had a thought that she was going to, like, put me in my place, or whatever, but as you know I’m not shut-uppable.”