I remember watching The Ellen DeGeneres Show growing up and thinking that she was a hilarious host. It wasn’t until I was older that I began to grow uncomfortable with some of her jokes, not to mention the treatment of her guests. The beloved comedian who had once been widely adored for her contagious joy and kindness became a highly criticized figure during the summer of 2020, when her ex-employees came forward in a BuzzFeed News report detailing the toxic environment that she fostered on her show.
Plenty of celebrities have been called out for their treatment of others, but when celebrities make themselves icons for advocacy and are then exposed in these scandals, they undermine the significance of their support for marginalized communities. At its core, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights is a fight for human rights, which means that supporting queer rights requires actively practicing antiracism, feminism, and other forms of activism.
The Ellen Show and DeGeneres herself were once recognized as champions for the queer community, with the show practicing an inclusive “be kind” mantra and DeGeneres paving the way for major queer representation in television. However, both the show and the host have proven to be problematic. Executive producers on the show would repeatedly spew racist microaggressions at employees in addition to engaging in sexual misconduct.
By either allowing managers on set to continue this behavior or simply ignoring the issues at hand, DeGeneres has shown her complete disregard for the rights of her employees through her inaction. Therefore, she clearly no longer represents the stand for human rights and the call for a just, equitable world. Additionally, DeGeneres responded to claims about the toxic work environment by calling them “misogynistic,” perpetuating the wrong belief that any criticism of an individual woman is sexist, thus allowing her to be free from any behavioral restrictions.
Moreover, despite DeGeneres’ supposed commitment to kindness, she is a notoriously rude celebrity; former employees have stated the show host’s hospitable personality extends only to the cameras, and one even stated that her mantra could more accurately be described as, “be kind to the world, not your employees.” But at times her kindness has lapsed on camera, too. Clips of DeGeneres bullying Taylor Swift for her dating history, sharing Michelle Obama’s medical information, continually exploiting guests’ phobias, or exposing Justin Bieber’s nude photos have gone viral, showing just how little DeGeneres cares for respecting human dignity. The irony of DeGeneres calling claims about workplace harassment “misogynistic” but then proceeding to criticize women and their dating histories also showcases her hypocrisy.
For so long, DeGeneres was considered a hero in the queer community—an agent of change for a group in desperate need of representation in the media. How can a driving force of change in the entertainment industry simultaneously be someone who traumatizes employees to the point of forcing them out of the industry?
Ellen DeGeneres does not deserve to be called an LGBTQ+ icon. Her actions and the atmosphere of her show go against everything that the advocacy of human rights represents. Whether it be her blatant disrespect for privacy and comfort or her tolerance of racist and sexist treatment of her own employees, she has no grasp of what it means to truly support a community in need. To support LGBTQ+ rights is to support human rights. To support human rights is to support African American rights, women’s rights, and so on. One cannot exist without the other, so therefore Ellen and her show cannot be considered champions for pride.
