Back in March, when the coronavirus pandemic swept across the United States, Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show made some major changes. The show switched to an at-home version without an audience. The show’s crew was not so happy about the decision to go with non-union workers for the at-home show.

Then, over the summer, things got worse and worse for Ellen as the talk show host faced accusations of a toxic work environment. Guests and staff members came forward to state that Ellen is not the kind person she appears to be on TV.

Now, it’s time for the new season of Ellen’s show to air, and this time, things are getting back to normal. Ellen started taping the show on September 16th back in the studio, and there’s even a live studio audience.

Ellen is not ignoring the accusations about her and about her show. She is being vocal about them starting in the monologue of the very first episode of Season 18. While she addressed the negative comments seriously, she also did it with a sarcastic sense of humor that caused the audience to laugh. For example, Ellen called her summer “great” and “super terrific.”

You can watch clips from the premier of Season 18 of Ellen below.

There are mixed opinions about Ellen’s reaction to the accusations against her. One person commented, “Addressing allegations of a toxic workplace means Ellen runs a toxic workplace.” 

Another comment reads, “The “i’m human and working on it” excuse doesn’t fly. You’re 62 years old and are in a leadership position—you should have figured it out by now.”

What do you think about the way Ellen addressed the accusations that she’s not “kind” and that the workplace at her show is “toxic”? Do you believe her or do you think her show should be canceled?