Wendy Williams Speaks Out About Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres is quitting "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after 19 seasons – and the fan reaction, at least in the Twittersphere, does not seem particularly mournful. After DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter on May 12 she was exiting because the show "is just not a [creative] challenge anymore," many called foul on her reasoning. One fairly snarky tweet read, "LOL exactly what was challenging for Ellen about dancing poorly and playing Operation with her guest."
The lack of goodwill for DeGeneres stems from a storm of reports mid-2020 by ex-employees of a "toxic work culture," Buzzfeed News reported at the time. "That 'be kind' bulls**t only happens when the cameras are on. It's all for show," one such former employee told BuzzFeed News. "I know they give money to people and help them out, but it's for show."
Although DeGeneres had responded to the allegations apologetically on the Season 18 premiere of her show in September 2020, saying, "I learned that things happen here that never should have happened ... I am so sorry to the people who were affected," ratings dropped precipitously since, per The New York Times.
While DeGeneres' choice to leave does not seem affected by the wave of negative claims leveled against her show, fellow daytime talk show host Wendy Williams is skeptical. Here's how Williams weighed in on DeGeneres' momentous decision.
Wendy says she was not happy as a guest on Ellen's show
Wendy Williams doesn't buy Ellen DeGeneres' statement to The Hollywood Reporter that leaving "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was due to a lack of creative "challenge."
"I believe she's leaving because the workplace conditions," Williams opined on "The Wendy Williams Show." per the Daily Mail, referencing Buzzfeed News' 2020 exposé on the "toxic" work environment allegedly fostered by DeGeneres' show. Williams expounded on those claims, remarking, "19 years on TV doesn't change your life it exposes you for the person that you really are." Furthermore, responding to DeGeneres' claim she made on the Today show, stating that "All I've ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is," Williams mused, "I'm not sure that all the guests are happy. I was a guest. I wasn't happy."
"Happy guests" are a point of contention for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." DeGeneres infamously denied intentionally skipping actor and show guest Dakota Johnson's October 2019 birthday bash in an interview, despite Johnson insisting she was invited. "It was probably Malibu, that's too far for me to go to," Ellen joked back. (As ET reported, DeGeneres was seen hanging with former President George W. Bush at a Dallas Cowboys game the weekend of Johnson's party. Awkward... )
Williams for her part ended her DeGeneres-related thoughts on a positive note, however, explaining that running a daily talk show is difficult. "Every single day is hard. And we never know ... if you're [gonna be] canceled."