Ellen DeGeneres faces damaging allegations in shocking new scandal

Hold onto your seats, folks — Ellen DeGeneres, once America’s daytime darling, is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons with fresh claims of behind-the-scenes toxicity that could sink her reputation for good, as the Daily Mail reports.

New accusations from a former cameraman, alongside past bullying claims, paint a grim picture of DeGeneres’ long-running The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which aired from 2003 to 2022 before its cancellation amid controversy.

Let’s rewind to the beginning: DeGeneres’ show, filmed at Warner Bros. in Burbank on an NBC set in Los Angeles, was a juggernaut of feel-good TV for nearly two decades.

Earlier success marred by dark allegations

But whispers of trouble started in 2020, when staffers spoke to BuzzFeed about a toxic workplace, alleging firings for taking bereavement or sick leave — even after personal crises like suicide attempts.

DeGeneres, who reportedly earned $77 million annually per Forbes, issued an on-screen apology, claiming she was unaware of the issues despite her role as executive producer. Well, ignorance might be bliss, but accountability isn’t optional when you’re at the helm.

By 2022, the show was canceled, three top producers were ousted for allegedly ignoring staff complaints, and DeGeneres packed her bags for England — perhaps hoping to leave the drama behind.

Shocking new claims emerge

Now, a former cameraman who worked on the show for over a decade has come forward anonymously to the Daily Mail with jaw-dropping allegations of pettiness and control. Turns out, the queen of kindness might have had a colder side.

The source claims DeGeneres pressured a senior producer to reschedule a child’s critical surgery — described as a bone marrow transplant — just to suit her Christmas holiday schedule. “This was a person pretty high up,” the cameraman noted, adding that DeGeneres “got exactly what she wanted.”

While it’s unclear if DeGeneres personally knew of the rescheduling, the optics are abysmal — prioritizing a taping over a child’s health isn’t the “be kind” mantra we remember.

Staff turnover, alleged bias

The cameraman also alleges DeGeneres had a particular dislike for male staffers, burning through nine stage managers in one season alone — an “insane number” by any standard. “We had a feeling she really didn’t like guys,” the source quipped, and the numbers seem to back that up.

High turnover was apparently the norm, with around 20 staffers leaving per season compared to just a handful on Tyra Banks’ show. Loyalty to the show trumped loyalty to people, the source lamented, saying, “It was all loyalty to the show, but no loyalty to staff.”

Even DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi, gets dragged into the mess, with claims that Ellen was upset if male employees spoke to Portia, who had a reserved seat marked by a “gold plaque” at stage left. Avoiding the so-called “Ellen gaze” became a survival tactic for staff, according to the insider.

Petty incidents, chilling atmosphere

Other incidents paint a picture of vindictiveness: Chef Gordon Ramsay was allegedly barred for eight seasons after criticizing rancid meat during a cooking segment, and a warm-up man was banned for a harmless quip about DeGeneres not falling off a unicycle. Actions have consequences, but these seem more like overreactions than justice.

Then there’s the story of a production assistant from another show, fired just days after failing to move a golf cart quickly enough for DeGeneres on the Warner Bros. lot — though a direct link to her isn’t confirmed. Add to that older Daily Mail reports of DeGeneres trying to get a waitress fired over chipped nail polish, and the pattern of intolerance grows clearer.

Perhaps most chilling are allegations that show bosses worked to block ex-employees from finding new jobs after leaving or being fired, a claim that suggests a culture of retribution over redemption. If true, this isn’t just bad management — it’s a deliberate attempt to punish those who dared to walk away.