Since 2003, Ellen Degeneres has shared laughs, tears and countless memories during her talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In 18 years, a lot has changed, but one thing has remained: Ellen’s generosity.
As the show approaches its last episode on May 26, rumor has it that Ellen will be handing out quite the generous bonus to her staffers. A source told The Post that “Ellen and [production company] Warner Bros. worked together to make sure every person was taken care of,” stating that she would be handing out “millions of dollars” in bonuses.
While the exact number hasn’t been disclosed, the source said that bonuses were essential for Ellen, who wanted to make her staff feel appreciated. “It was not even a question for Ellen to cover bonuses … That was very important to her.”
The show ran for 19 seasons, but in 2020, she ran into rating issues after allegations of an extremely toxic work environment. For example, one employee 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.
Besides having a toxic environment, there were also instances of several top behind-the-scenes executives have engaged in sexual misconduct with employees.
The claims prompted DeGeneres to give a public apology, stating she was not aware of all the problems that arose in the allegations. “Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show,” she said in the apology.
In the final season, Ellen has really been taking it up on a notch on how she treats her employees, of which about 30 percent are ones who’ve been with her over a decade. Back in September, a source told The Post that she “gave gifts to everyone including trips, watches, cars.” Additionally, employees will have their healthcare covered for six months prior to the show ending.
As the show draws its end, there’s still a lot of fun to look forward to until May. Stay tuned for visits from Michelle Obama Channing Tatum, Serena Williams, Zac Efron, Adam Levine and many more.
Learn more about the show’s end in the video below.
Are you an avid Ellen DeGeneres Show watcher? How do you feel about the show coming to an end?