California, United States — Due to allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment, three of the top producers of Ellen DeGeneres show has been fired.
In a video meeting with staffs, Ms DeGeneres had announced the overhaul and mentioned that an internal investigation was under way.
According to a Hollywood reporter, she had also apologized to her staff in a message saying, she was “so sorry for what this has become.”
The departures follow investigations by journalists into claims of bullying and intimidation on set.
Warner Brothers confirmed that the show has “parted ways” with executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman.
The show had won a total of 60 Emmy Awards since it first aired on 2003. However, in a story published earlier this year, several former employees told Buzzfeed News that they had experienced racism while working on the show.
Several others had accused Mr Leman and Mr Norman of sexual harassment to former staffs, and Mr Glavin was accused of inappropriate touching, and leading with intimidation and fear.
In a statement released from Buzzfeed News earlier said that, Mr Leman denied “any kind of sexual impropriety,” and Mr Norman said he was “100% categorically denying these allegations.” Mr Glavin has not publicly responded to the claims.
Ms DeGeneres sent an email to her staffs while distancing herself from the claims of a toxic work environment, saying to the staffs that she had been “misrepresented” by “people who work with me and for me”. She then apologized to her staff and said that she was “glad the issues were brought to her attention”.
While several celebrities such as Katy Perry and comedian Kevin Hart spoke out in support of the chat show host, there were other stars such as Everybody Loves Raymond actor Brad Garrett, who supported the claims made against her programme.
The executive vice president of programming at Warner Brothers had also sent an email to their staff saying that, the studio was “absolutely committed” to “change and a new culture.
“Many of you have spoken with WarnerMedia’s investigators, and we thank you for your honesty,” he added, according to Buzzfeed News. “I hope this note is another way we are showing our commitment to do better.”
