Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for July 27
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"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is reportedly under internal investigation by parent company WarnerMedia after a number of high-profile complaints regarding workplace culture circulated online.
Citing sources, Variety reports that a memo was sent to the show's staffers last week announcing that WarnerMedia's employee relations group has teamed with a third party organization to interview current and former employees.
Among the recent stories regarding the show was a report this month from Buzzfeed News, in which former and current staff members alleged that producers have created a "toxic work environment" based on bullying and fear.
ELLEN DEGENERES, PORTIA DE ROSSI WERE AT HOME DURING BURGLARY, HAVE HEAVILY UPDATED SECURITY: REPORT
One employee still working for the production company behind DeGeneres' talk show claimed to Buzzfeed News that after Fox News' published an interview with a former bodyguard, who documented his unsavory experience with the host, it left execs scrambling to combat the accusations head-on after weeks of remaining silent.
"A current employee told BuzzFeed News that on May 1, the same day the story about the former bodyguard was published, executive producers took the rare move of holding an all-staff meeting over Zoom to address the negative stories and low morale," the report said.
Ten additional former employees of the long-running show spoke out anonymously to the outlet with additional nightmarish claims about what it's like working for DeGeneres and top producers.
Ellen DeGeneres, host of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' has come under fire in recent months for alleged rude, bullying behavior. (NBC)
The ex-employees shared harrowing details of their day-to-day experiences working at "Ellen," which included claims of racist remarks and directives from producers to not speak to DeGeneres should she be roaming the office off-air.
According to Variety's report on Monday, the third-party organization that will assist in the investigation was not named, but the outlet reports that Warner Bros. TV Vice President of Human Resources, Donna Hancock Husband, and Donna Redier Linsk, Telepictures Executive Vice President, sent the memo.
The note reportedly stressed the companies' commitment to providing a positive work environment for employees.
A Warner Bros. spokesperson declined to comment, while reps for DeGeneres and her show did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Citing sources, Variety reports that a memo was sent to the show's staffer's last week announcing that WarnerMedia's employee relations group has teamed with a third party organization to interview current and former employees. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
The allegations of a "toxic work environment" were addressed by the show's executive producers Ed Glavin, Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly in a statement to Buzzfeed at the time of the outlet's report.
"We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience," they said. "It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us."
ELLEN DEGENERES' BRAND 'BLEEDING OUT IN GUSHES' AMID NEW RACISM, TOXIC WORKPLACE CLAIMS: EXPERT
The statement explained that the "day to day responsibility of the ... show is completely on" the producers.
"We take all of this very seriously and we realize, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better," they said.
Ellen DeGeneres (Randy Holmes/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
Most recently, a source connected to the show's production staff opened up to Us Weekly about the allegations against the workplace and its 62-year-old comedian host, explaining that employees are pleased with the traction of the stories that have been published.
“They’ve been calling and texting each other about the story,” the insider said earlier this month. “They’re loving that the truth — which has been an open secret for years in the industry — is finally receiving more interest.”
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Fox News previously spoke with branding expert Eric Schiffer on the subject, who said that DeGeneres' brand is "bleeding out in gushes" over the recent allegations.
Fox News' Melissa Roberto contributed to this report
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