The Ellen DeGeneres Show might make you laugh as an outsider looking in, but the employees are apparently facing a toxic work environment behind the scenes.

It was all brought to the public’s attention after a BuzzFeed article went viral detailing several racist or just downright bad incidents.

For example, one was let go from the show after taking medical leave or bereavement days when he or she needed to attend a family funeral. Another said they received negative comments about her race, which made her voluntarily leave the job. And others said the environment was so depraved that they were told they couldn’t talk to Ellen if they happened to walk by her in the office.

Some employees say it’s the execute producers’ fault, but some say Ellen herself who is responsible.

“If she wants to have her own show and have her name on the show title, she needs to be more involved to see what’s going on,” the former employee said. “I think the executive producers surround her and tell her, ‘Things are going great, everybody’s happy,’ and she just believes that, but it’s her responsibility to go beyond that.”

The producers— Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, and Andy Lassner— did release a statement not only stating that if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s theirs, and that they are upset to learn any of their employees had such a negative experience.

“Over the course of nearly two decades, 3,000 episodes, and employing over 1000 staff members, we have strived to create an open, safe, and inclusive work environment,” they said. “We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us.”

To hear the details on what went down in the office, check out the video below.

Does it surprise you that some of the employees were treated negatively on the Ellen DeGeneres set?