Ellen DeGeneres opened up about the rumors that her show was a “toxic” environment in her first interview since announcing that her show will be ending after season 19.
The talk show host told Savannah Guthrie that she has 255 employees and had know way of knowing what was going on behind-the-scenes. She added, “I do wish somebody would have come to me and said, ‘Hey, something’s going on that you should know about.'”
DeGeneres also said that she “didn’t understand” what was happening at the time. She said, “I still don’t understand it. It was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated. And, you know, people get picked on. But it was for four months straight for me. And then for me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere and what a happy place it is.”
DeGeneres also said the criticism against her “did feel very misogynistic.”
