Ellen DeGeneres started making news over the summer for reasons other than dance moves, scaring celebrities, and the latest games. Former employees from The Ellen DeGeneres Show came out and accused the show of a toxic work culture in July. Although DeGeneres herself was not accused of too much more than not allowing employees to look her in the eye, more and more claims about the show emerged as the weeks passed. Several celebrities came out to defend DeGeneres, and now fellow daytime TV host Steve Harvey has joined the ranks.
When asked about what advice he'd give Ellen DeGeneres if she appeared on his talk show, Steve Harvey told People:
I'm going to say this about it: Ellen DeGeneres, the person that I know, that I've known for a number of years, that I saw back in the comedy club days, when we used to split time with the same management, all of this and what's happening now, Ellen, the person, is probably one of the coolest and kindest people I've met in this business.
Steve Harvey's connections to Ellen DeGeneres clearly go way back in their careers, seemingly before they were both household names for their TV shows. Harvey didn't specifically address the allegations against The Ellen DeGeneres Show or the claims about DeGeneres herself, but describing her as "one of the coolest and kindest people" indicates that she has Harvey in her corner.
While Steve Harvey has generated his fair share of controversy for some incidents as a host, the scandal surrounding The Ellen DeGeneres Show has resulted in major changes for the juggernaut daytime show. The original allegations in July quickly resulted in an investigation, and Ellen DeGeneres committed to "change" before the end of the month.
When the allegations against the show escalated to include sexual misconduct and assault, rumors began to circulate about a potential cancellation of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, although it seems those were never especially founded in a real possibility. Some celebrities came out to corroborate "mean Ellen" rumors, but other celebs like Kevin Hart and (unsurprisingly) Portia de Rossi openly supported DeGeneres.
A few weeks after the investigation into the allegations began, The Ellen DeGeneres Show fired three senior producers, and Ellen DeGeneres took time to apologize to her staff. In the apology, she shared that she's trying to learn from her mistakes after hearing that "some people" felt that she "wasn’t kind or too short with them, or too impatient."
This wasn't a direct confirmation or denial of allegations that she refuses to look people in the eye or, as one anonymous woman claiming to be a former camera assistant on The Ellen DeGeneres Show alleged, "most people are told when Ellen enters a room, you and your entire crew need to leave." Ellen DeGeneres did later address the rumor that she doesn't allow eye contact, calling it "crazy" and "just not true."
The Ellen DeGeneres Show premieres Season 18 on Monday, September 21. As for Steve Harvey, you can find his latest talk show, called STEVE on Watch, streaming on Facebook Watch. If you're in the market for some primetime viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule!
