Ellen DeGeneres fires 3 executive producers accused of sexual harassment
Ellen DeGeneres has finally stood up to the pride of her show. The three executive producers of the daytime talk show, namely Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman, have been sacked under persistent allegations of sexual harassment and workplace toxicity in the show. Meanwhile, Mary Connelly, Derek Westervelt and Andy Lassner will continue supporting DeGeneres as active executive producers of the show.
A Warner Bros spokesperson has confirmed that the three executive producers have "parted ways" with their organization. The comedienne also shared this information in a video conference recently. Reports suggested that she was emotional and emphatic in the meeting. Addressing over 200 employees of the show, Ellen said that she is "far from perfect," but she is trying to "learn from my mistakes."
Adding that the allegations have been heartbreaking, Ellen highlighted that the show would stick to pre-decided timetables to streamline production. The BuzzFeed report, which actually brought the matter to the fore last month, had said that several employees had complained about years-long abuse perpetrated by Glavin, Leman and Norman. Among the three, Glavin faced the maximum number of sexual harassment complaints.
Glavin was accused of harassing an ex-employee by asking him to perform oral sex in a bathroom. He was also called out on multiple incidents of groping colleagues. Notably, Glavin, Lassner and Connelly had issued a joint statement apologizing after learning of such "negative experiences." The huge backlash received, post the BuzzFeed report, prompted Warner Bros to do "staffing changes on the show."
WarnerMedia's employee relation group and a third-party firm also conducted an unbiased probe into the allegations coming from all quarters of the show. Even Ellen faced a lot of complaints for her indifference to these issues. Over 100 employees were interviewed, and they demanded for an inclusive workplace environment, although the probe couldn't find clues of 'systemic racism' at the show.
