Ellen DeGeneres is facing another hurdle in 2020 and her show is shut until January. She is recovering at home.
Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres' eponymous show is facing another hurdle in what seems to be a tough year during which three senior producers left after accusations of sexual harassment, racism, and creating a toxic work environment were levied against them by 36 former employees. The new hurdle comes in the form of DeGeneres' COVID-19 status.
The 62-year-old host has tested positive and now production for the show has to be halted until January. "Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that I tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, I'm feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines. I'll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe," she wrote on Twitter.
A spokesperson for Telepictures, the show's production company owned by Warner Bros., also confirmed the news that production on The Ellen DeGeneres Show is on hold until next month, reported NPR.
The reaction to the news was mixed as people are still angry at the talk show host over her treatment of her employees. The Finding Nemo voice artist has been accused of mistreating employees in the past.
One person on Twitter said, "Hopefully you ain't coming back! Since you're probably taking a break, stay off forever!" Another added, "We just forgetting about how she treats her staff that quick?" Yet another Twitter user said, "For God's sake, give Ellen a break! She's meant so much to so many people for so many years. She's cried real tears on air when others were in pain. She's shared her experience as a sexual assault survivor at the hands of her step-father. She bleeds red just like the rest of us."
With a net worth of $330 million (as per Forbes) and a huge home, she had ruffled some feathers when she said that isolating at home was like living in a prison. She had said it in a video while sitting in her sprawling home.
"One thing I've learned from being in quarantine is that people — this is like being in jail, is what this is," DeGeneres said, according to Insider. She added, "It's mostly because I've been wearing the same clothes for 10 days, and everyone in here is gay." She was referring to herself and her wife, Portia de Rossi.
People did not take her jokes lightly and clapped back at her instead. "Ellen DeGeneres Comparing Isolation in Her Mansion to 'Jail' Guess her designer clothes are her jumpsuit huh," said one person.
Ellen DeGeneres Comparing Isolation in Her Mansion to “Jail”🤣😂 Guess her designer clothes are her jumpsuit huh. pic.twitter.com/4otWe47QYI
— itsagundam (@GundamIsHere) April 7, 2020
Another person added, "Forget Orange is the New Black, Dolce and Gabbana is the new Orange." Even with her current news, the netizens were not calm and pointed out "we all know you're not going to die because you have rich treatment ellen."
The audience has not been welcoming towards the host ever since the accusations of employee mistreatment became public, even though she apologized to her staff. "I take this very seriously and I want to say I'm so sorry to the people it affected," the host said, adding that an investigation had led to "the necessary changes" being made, reported BBC.
"I learned that things happened that should never have happened," she said. "If I've ever let someone down if I've ever hurt their feelings, I am sorry for that," she added. She joked that being known as the "be kind lady", which is her sign-off quote on the show, was "a tricky position to be in." She added, "If you want to give yourself a new nickname or title, don't go with the 'be kind' lady. Don't do it."
She had been featuring guests on the show during the pandemic, which was being shot in the studio, and was maintaining social distance. After returning to the studio, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Diane Keaton, Bryan Cranston and, Leslie Odom Jr. had been her guests.
References:
https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/status/1337079993273237506?
https://www.insider.com/ellen-degeneres-prison-self-isolation-coronavirus-backlash-2020-4
