Ellen DeGeneres disliked ‘male’ staff on show set, ex-cameraman claims

Ellen DeGeneres faces new allegations toxic behavior behind the scenes of her former daytime talk show, five years after the toxic workplace scandal first came to light.

A former cameraman who worked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has claimed that the host was particularly tough on male staff members and did not like it when anyone interacted too closely with her wife, Portia de Rossi. 

“We went through a lot of male employees just in general,” the ex-staffer told the Daily Mail, alleging that in one season alone, nine stage managers were cycled through. 

“We had a feeling she really didn’t like guys.”

According to him, de Rossi was kind and approachable, but talking to her could cause problems. 

“You just hoped and prayed you weren’t seated by her wife, so you didn’t get her attention,” he recalled. 

He also described what he called the “Ellen gaze,” a piercing look marked by narrowed eyes and sharp cheekbones, which he likened to “a queen looking for her next execution.”

The cameraman went on to claim that DeGeneres once clashed with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay after he allegedly criticized her for using rancid meat during a cooking segment. “She told one of her EPs, ‘Don’t let this guy on the show again,’” he alleged, adding that guests could be “uninvited” from the show with little warning.

The most troubling story he shared, however, involved a producer who reportedly delayed a child’s critical operation at the request of the show. 

“The kid had a major surgery, like a bone marrow transplant,” he said, explaining that the staff member was asked if the procedure could be moved away from the holiday week for the sake of production. 

“It was all loyalty to the show, but no loyalty to staff.”

When initial reports of a toxic workplace emerged in 2020, DeGeneres addressed them directly on-air. 

“I learned that things happened here that never should’ve happened,” she said at the time. “I take that very seriously, and I want to say I’m so sorry to the people who were affected.”