These celebs left their employees out in the cold during the pandemic

Through her incredible charity work and her “Be kind to one another” catchphrase, Ellen DeGeneres has been deemed the “Queen of Nice.” But, the world Ellen came back to after The Ellen DeGeneres Show went on hiatus in the middle of March, was changed. In her first post-hiatus episode of the show, filmed in her multi-million dollar mansion, Ellen likened social distancing to “being in jail” (via Global News). Despite following with a punchline, fans weren’t happy with the insensitive comparisons.

That was the big news until a story came out in Variety about the TV host’s treatment of her core stage staff “of more than 30 employees.” According to the piece, the crew had received no word from producers about their jobs for over a month, including details about pay, hours, or health. When it came time to film from DeGeneres’ home, the crew weren’t called into work. Instead, the show allegedly used a non-union tech company. The official word, when it eventually came, was that only four core members would be retained for the remote filming. The rest would receive a 60% reduction in pay. According to Variety, several other talk shows have maintained their staff’s wages, including Jimmy Kimmel Live, whose host has paid his stagehands himself. 

As the controversy surrounding the comedian-turned-host’s decisions only continues to grow, it turns out that even her former bodyguard has spoken out, revealing that DeGeneres is nothing like she seems.

Written by: Nicki