Ellen DeGeneres may have left the hostile workplace allegations made against her in the past, but social media users still can't forget about the scandal. News of the show winning the 2020 People’s Choice Awards has prompted a wave of angry and sarcastic comments online. Despite a sharp drop in ratings, Ellen picked up the prize in the Daytime Talk Show category.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, from deep, deep down in my heart. I thank you. I am not only accepting this award for myself but on behalf of my amazing crew and staff who make the show possible. They show up every single day, give 100 percent of themselves, 100 percent of the time", the TV host said while accepting the award.
However, her speech failed to satisfy netizens, who accused DeGeneres of dishonesty and noted that she is nothing without her employees.
From what I hear, she is a nightmare boss.....maybe after all the bad press...she is realizing she is nothing without them...or just faking it to smooth out the perception of her...hopefully the former
— Anthony Zita (@AnthonyZita2) November 16, 2020
unbelievable 😠😠😠
— Linda Hung (@lindahaung93) November 16, 2020
Many wondered why the public had voted for her after the show's producers had been accused of bullying, racism, and sexual misconduct.
how did ellen degeneres win a pca’s after everything that happened this year? pic.twitter.com/3rUVma9lG3
— veri (@ALICEP4GANI) November 16, 2020
Guess some just get away with it
— Michael c (@cottie95) November 16, 2020
Other netizens seem to have found the answer to how Ellen won the award.
Always, always reward liberal hypocrites! That’s the American way!
— Jay Inslee is Asshoe-Hotsy Totsy 🇺🇸 (@HotsyHotsyTotsy) November 16, 2020
Are these awards bought? #guess
— Happy Thanksgiving 🍂🍁🍽 🦃 (@BorinquenSun) November 16, 2020
Many users contended that the show was nominated in the wrong category…
Award for the most toxic workplace
— shy bald buddhist (@cubandaddy2003) November 16, 2020
Still others said that the vote was rigged, poking fun at the 2020 presidential election.
Count all the votes. 😁
— Gail Hamilton (@GailMHamilton1) November 16, 2020
They used Dominion software to tally the votes!
— Justin K. Wilder (@WilderJustin) November 16, 2020
In mid-July, Buzzfeed published a story in which 36 former employees of The Ellen Show spoke out about the toxic work environment there. Besides the above-mentioned accusations of racism, sexual harassment, and bullying, some employees complained that they were fired for attending family funerals or taking days off because of illness. Individuals who spoke to Buzzfeed also claimed that the host herself was aware of the toxic environment.
"She knows s*** goes on, but also she doesn’t want to hear it”, one individual told Buzzfeed. "You cannot stand up in front of an audience as large as hers every single day for 17 years and say the words 'be kind to one another' and do what she did", said another.
The Buzzfeed story prompted an internal investigation that resulted in the firing of three executive producers.
DeGeneres started the latest season of the show with an apology to former staff members, but brushed off claims that she knew what was happening behind the scenes, saying:
"Maybe some of you know that, you know, I was an actress. I’ve played a straight woman in movies, so I’m a pretty good actress. But I don’t think that I’m that good that I could come out here every day for seventeen years and fool you".
