Portia de Rossi speaks out amid campaign to support Ellen DeGeneres: 'We see you'
As controversy consumes Ellen DeGeneres and her namesake show, a few stars are starting to show support for the embattled television host — including her wife. Portia de Rossi broke her silence on Monday amid new reports of a toxic workplace at the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“To all our fans....we see you,” the actress captioned a photo that read “I Stand By Ellen.”
A post shared by Portia de Rossi (@portiaderossi) on Aug 3, 2020 at 10:03am PDT
Public support for DeGeneres has been scarce thus far from her fellow celebrities and frequent high-profile guests. Singer Brandi Carlile is among the first to publicly weigh in as she left a comment of support on de Rossi’s post.
“Ellen has made my life so much easier for me and other #LGBTQ people. I'll never stop being grateful for that, but more importantly she's NEVER stopped making life better and easier for all kinds of people. This attack is unprecedented,” Carlile wrote.
The comment follows an Instagram post from Nacho Figueras over the weekend who vigorously praised DeGeneres and her show, calling out celebrities for staying silent.
“I have been patiently waiting for someone with more authority than me to speak up about what a great human being [Ellen] is,” he shared. “I have been very lucky to be on that show many times and I can tell you that it is a very well run machine, everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved. I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters where she is nice to absolutely everyone, the guy serving the coffee, the person in the elevator, the security guy and the owner of the venue.”
Figueras said DeGeneres “makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday and we cannot hit her because something may have not been perfect. No one is perfect, and we cannot control everything.”
The polo player concluded by challenging others to speak up for DeGeneres, tagging out notable figures like Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama, Oprah and Katy Perry in his post. “We love Ellen right?”
A post shared by Ignacio Figueras (@nachofigueras) on Aug 2, 2020 at 8:26pm PDT
Dozens of employees anonymously contributed to explosive reports from Variety and Buzzfeed about a culture of racism, sexual harassment and intimidation by senior staff members at the Ellen DeGeneres Show. On Monday, former producer Hedda Muskat became the first person to go on the record about her experience, immediately noticing a “culture of fear” when she was hired in 2003. Muskat claimed to The Wrap that DeGeneres was a “toxic host” who was aware of the abuses on set.
DeGeneres addressed allegations of misconduct in a letter to staff last week.
“On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that the Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case,” she wrote. “And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.”
The comedian said she takes “responsibility” as her name is on the show and said changes are coming. Warner Bros. has not announced its findings from the internal investigation launched last month.
More — DeGeneres’s show under internal investigation after reports of workplace mistreatment:
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