Ellen DeGeneres responded to allegations of 'issues' at her show with a letter to staff

• After months of stories emerging about Ellen DeGeneres' alleged pattern of unkind or problematic behavior, the talk-show host has addressed her staff.
• In the letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres said she was "disappointed to learn" that people working for her did not feel happy or respected on set.
• "My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that," DeGeneres wrote, according to THR. "Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues."
• DeGeneres says she was not able to "stay on top of everything" as the show grew.

Days after news broke that WarnerMedia was conducting an internal investigation of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" following damaging reports of its workplace culture, the talk show host herself addressed staff in a letter.

In the letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres takes responsibility for the overall issues on her set. She does not directly address any allegations of her personal actions but says she was "disappointed to learn" that people working for her did not feel happy or respected on set.

"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," DeGeneres wrote. "Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

In the letter, DeGeneres referenced the WarnerMedia investigation: "Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues." DeGeneres did not go into detail on the internal issues or investigation.

She also apologized at the beginning and end of the letter to anyone who was not treated with fairness and respect.

Earlier this month, Buzzfeed News published an investigative report of the "toxic" workplace culture of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

"Most of the former employees blamed executive producers and other senior managers for the day-to-day toxicity," BuzzFeed reporter Krystie Lee Yandoli wrote. "But one former employee said that, ultimately, it's Ellen's name on the show and 'she really needs to take more responsibility' for the workplace environment."

Just this week, Australian radio host Neil Breen said he was given "specific instructions" by DeGeneres' producers when working with her on a segment.

"I don't know whether she's a nice person or not. I wouldn't have a clue," Breen said. "But I can tell you the people who worked with her walked on eggshells the whole time."

In DeGeneres' letter to staff, she wrote, "people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop."

There has been a growing backlash against DeGeneres since the beginning of this year when Dutch beauty vlogger NikkieTutorials spoke about having a negative experience on the show. Since then, former guests and employees of DeGeneres have talked about their own experiences with the talk show host.

According to a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, WarnerMedia's investigation will result in "several staffing changes."

Read the full letter from DeGeneres to her staff, and WarnerMedia's statement, on The Hollywood Reporter.

• Read more:
• Why 2020 has been the year of backlash against Ellen DeGeneres
• A radio host said he was given specific instructions for working with Ellen DeGeneres: 'You don't talk to her, you don't approach her'
• The cringiest celebrity interviews on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'
• A comedian offered donations in exchange for stories about Ellen DeGeneres being 'one of the meanest people alive.' He got 2,000 replies.