The Ellen Show and its Emmy award-winning host have come under fire amidst allegations of workplace harassment and bullying on set, but several celebrities have now stepped forward to voice support for DeGeneres. Now, Kevin Hart (Night School, Jumanji, Ride Along, Central Intelligence) has released a statement on instagram expressing his regret that DeGeneres has come under backlash.
‘It’s crazy to see my friend go thru what she’s going thru publicly,’ Hart, 41, posted to the social media platform on Tuesday, alongside a picture from filming on her show. ‘I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she’s one of the dopest people on the f*****g planet.’
The talk show mogul was one of Hart’s only supporters when he came under fire for a racist tweet and stepped down from hosting the Oscars in 2018, an experience that likely left him all the more sympathetic to the impact of ‘cancel culture.’
Hart wrote, ‘The internet has become a crazy world of negativity…. we are falling in love with peoples down fall. It’s honestly sad… When did we get here? I stand by the ones that I know and that I love.’
Singer Katy Perry took to twitter to throw her support behind Ellen stating, “I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experiences but my own, but I want to acknowledge that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen & on the @theellenshow. I think we all have witnessed the light & continual fight for equality that she has brought … to the world through her platform for decades. Sending you love & a hug, friend.”
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Celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson also had nothing but good things to say about working with Ellen. ‘Unpopular opinion: I’ve worked for @TheEllenShow as a dj, for her parties, for years and she has ALWAYS been respectful and kind to me.’
Users on Twitter pointed out that Ronson’s experience with Ellen as another celebrity may be skewed. Pointing out that Ellen may only be so kind to those “of a certain stature”.
Diane Keaton added her voice in support of Ellen. Posting to instagram a photo from her appearance on the show with the caption ‘I always enjoyed my visits to The Ellen Show… She gives back to so many including me.’
DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi, broke her silence on the scandal earlier this week, sharing an ‘I stand by Ellen’ graphic on social media with the caption “To all our fans…we see you. Thank you for your support.”
Most of the conduct in question seems to be centered around the shows writers and producers outside of DeGeneres herself, as 36 former and one current employee have accused its three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner of inappropriate work place misconduct, in the form of bullying, racial discrimination and sexual harrassment.
According to the Buzzfeed reporter who broke much of this story, it remains unclear how much bad behavior was actually witnessed by and excused by DeGeneres herself.
DeGeneres has issued a written statement acknowledging the current Warner Bros. investigation into her show.
“We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I’m glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention. I promise to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow. It’s important to me and to Warner Bros. that everyone who has something to say can speak up and feels safe doing so.”
Laura Day is a Reel New York correspondent. Contact her at Laura@reelchicago.com
