Ellen DeGeneres and the show named after her may be facing tough times at the moment, but the host at least has a number of celebrity friends who are coming to her defense in the face of numerous allegations of rude behavior and workplace misconduct.
One celebrity defender is Kevin Hart, whom People quotes as saying that DeGeneres is one of the “dopest” people he has met. He said that since day one, DeGeneres has only treated him, his family, and his team with love and respect.
Hart decried the public backlash DeGeneres is currently facing, calling it “crazy” and branding the internet as a “world of negativity.” The comedian questioned how the world has come to this and declared that he would continue to stand by those he loves.
That said, Hart added that his own statement is not meant to invalidate the experiences and feelings of others, but rather share what his experiences have been with DeGeneres. The talk show host was one of the people who came to Hart’s defense in 2019 after he was called out for previous homophobic tweets.
Aside from Hart, a number of DeGeneres’ celebrity friends have also attested to the talk show host’s character. Some of the names include talent manager Scooter Braun, singer Katy Perry, actor Jerry O’ Connell, athlete Nacho Figueras, and actress Diane Keaton.
Page Six collected what these stars have had to say about DeGeneres, with a running theme being that they have only ever enjoyed their experiences with DeGeneres.
Braun, for instance, said he knows “first-hand” how DeGeneres helps people, and that he only knows her as a courageous, thoughtful, and kind person. He also dismissed the outrage against DeGeneres as merely people love to see others fail.
Perry has insisted that she has only had positive takeaways from her interaction with DeGeneres and that she has been witness to the fight for equality that DeGeneres has brought into the world.
Both Figueroa and O’ Connell have come out to say that they will stand by DeGeneres, while Keaton said the audience at The Ellen DeGeneres Show has only ever exuded happiness and gratitude.
DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi, has also come out in support of her wife while also expressing gratitude to the fans that have stood by them through everything that has happened.
These celebrity testimonials are in contrast to others who have spoken up about DeGeneres’ alleged rude behavior, such as Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson. Both claim they have heard multiple stories about the talk show host’s bad behavior.