Credit: NBC

The investigators have stressed it has nothing to do with Ellen herself.

After numerous reports of toxic behavior in the workplace, WarnerMedia, along with a third party firm, have formally launched an investigation into the backstage goings-on of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Current and former employees will be interviewed about their times working on the show in order to determine if the reports have any merit and what should be done about it.

According to a report from Variety, employees have expressed frustration over their treatment by the show’s producers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notable grievences include longer working hours and a lack of communication on pay. In response to Variety’s article, Warner Bros. Television said “Our executive producers and Telepictures are committed to taking care of our staff and crew and have made decisions first and foremost with them in mind.” They did acknowledge, however, that employees were being paid at reduced rates.

Earlier in July, a BuzzFeed report featured anonymous testimonies from several Ellen DeGeneres Show workers who said that the show’s signature message of “be kind to one another” was very much at odds with their workplace’s attitude. A black employee confessed to being the target of multiple racist comments and aggressions from the show’s writers. Another employee was suddenly laid off after taking a month’s leave at a mental health facility.

Credit: NBC

“The biggest common thread that everyone told me is that what goes on behind the scenes is a far cry from what the show represents in their ‘be kind’ messaging and what the show and what Ellen DeGeneres herself profits off of,” BuzzFeed’s Krystie Lee Yandoli told NBC’s “TODAY.”

“Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1,000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment,” the show’s executive producers said in a statement. “We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us.”