Brad Garrett says Ellen DeGeneres is personally responsible for her 'toxic' workplace

James Hibberd
·3 min read

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Brad Garrett is criticizing Ellen DeGeneres' response to accusations that her daytime talk show workplace has a "toxic" culture.

The Everybody Loves Raymond and Fargo actor suggested he wasn't buying DeGeneres' letter to her staff that made headlines Thursday.

"Sorry but it comes from the top ⁦@TheEllenShow," Garrett wrote Thursday evening while tagging DeGeneres. "Know more than one who were treated horribly by her.⁩ Common knowledge."

On Friday, Back to the Future star Lea Thompson backed up Garrett on Twitter by replying, "True story. It is."

Garrett has appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show six times over the years.

In her letter to staff, DeGeneres did accept overall responsibility for the show's reportedly hostile work environment, yet also seemed to portray herself as largely unaware of such problems and not directly participating in any abusive behavior. According to THR, several staff members are likely to be ousted amid an ongoing internal investigation by WarnerMedia, but DeGeneres herself is apparently safe.

"Hey everybody — it’s Ellen," DeGeneres wrote in her message. "On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show ... As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

The host added she was "glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention" and that they are "taking steps ... to correct them."

"I am so proud of the work we do and the fun and joy we all help put out in the world," she concluded. "I want everyone at home to love our show and I want everyone who makes it to love working on it. Again, I’m so sorry to anyone who didn’t have that experience. If not for COVID, I’d have done this in person, and I can’t wait to be back on our stage and see you all then. Stay safe and healthy. Love, Ellen."

WarnerMedia issued a statement of its own after conducting dozens of interviews with current and former staffers, saying in part. "....though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show's day-to-day management. We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised, and are taking the first steps to implement them. Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres are all committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion. We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show."

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