The Ellen DeGeneres Show continues to undergo changes as part of the fallout that has come from the revelations of bad behavior and toxicity made about the production. The latest news to come out is that new perks will now be given to show employees.
Page Six reports that employees at The Ellen DeGeneres Show will now have a “generous” medical leave policy as well an additional five days of paid time off on top of what they are currently receiving.
Other benefits the show is introducing are birthday leaves as well as paid time off when it comes to family matters and medical appointments. One of the grievances raised up about the show’s management was that employees were prevented from taking time off for their mental health or to attend funerals.
Fox Business notes that these additional benefits come after the departure of three senior producers from the show -- Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman, and Jonathan Norman. The three producers were the names brought up in the Buzzfeed report that alleged incidents of racism and sexual harassment in the show.
While the firing of the three senior producers did not come as a surprise to some because they were already suspended as soon as the Buzzfeed report came out. However, Fox Business quotes Leman’s attorney as saying that the firing was uncalled for.
Michael Plonsker, Leman’s attorney, called the Buzzfeed report “deeply flawed” and called Leman a creative force and a popular figure on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. That said, Plonsker said that Leman cannot yet comment as he is devastated by the firing.
The firings and the added benefits come after DeGeneres wrote a letter to the staff where she took on the responsibility for everything that has gone wrong with the production, admitting that she has not been on top of things and that the people she entrusted with the show did not do their jobs.
Also claiming responsibility for the toxicity in The Ellen DeGeneres Show were executive producers Andy Lassner, Mary Connely, and Glavin. Lassner and Connely have both been retained on the show, promising to make the day-to-day management of the show better moving forward.
Other productions that have had allegations of abuse in the past few weeks include the television series MacGyver and the film Justice League. Lucas Till, who plays the lead character in MacGyver, accused the show’s former showrunner Peter Lenkov of body-shaming, verbal abuse, and bullying.
Meanwhile, Ray Fisher accused Justice League director Joss Whedon of unprofessional, abusive, and gross on-set behavior.