Lea Thompson backed fellow actor Brad Garrett’s claims about Ellen DeGeneres’ infamously bad behavior on her personal Twitter page on Friday.
‘True story. It is,’ wrote the 59-year-old Back to the Future star in response to Garrett’s sentiment that Ellen’s mistreatment is ‘common knowledge’ in Hollywood.
On Thursday night, Garrett also revealed that he happens to ‘know more than one who were treated horribly by [Ellen],’ though he did not provide any specific allegations.
True Story: Lea Thompson substantiated fellow actor Brad Garrett’s claims about Ellen DeGeneres’ infamously bad behavior on her personal Twitter page on Friday; Lea pictured in 2019
Garrett added that allegations of mistreatment came ‘from the top’ and he made sure to tag DeGeneres’ personal Twitter account.
‘Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge,’ read Brad’s tweet in full.
Brad’s brave tweet came after the actor became aware of a Variety article that detailed the written apology Ellen had sent to her staff that seemed to lay the blame on underlings.
Although Garrett was a six-time guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show between 2004 and 2007, he didn’t list any specific allegation against the comedian.
Common knowledge: ‘True story. It is,’ wrote the 59-year-old Back to the Future star in response to Garrett’s sentiment that Ellen’s mistreatment is ‘common knowledge’ in Hollywood
Close encounters: On Thursday night, Garrett also revealed that he happens to ‘know more than one who were treated horribly by [Ellen],’ though he did not provide any specific allegations
Ellen recently sent her staff a memo in which she wrote she was ‘taking steps… to correct’ issues with her employees.
‘Hey everybody – it’s Ellen. On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect.
‘Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show,’ she began her memo.
The boss: The actor said it’s ‘common knowledge’ that the host treats people ‘horribly’ while posting an article about Ellen’s apology, which seemed to lay the blame on underlings
Repeat guest: Garrett was a six-time guest from 2004 to 2007, though he didn’t mention any specific incidents from his time on the show; pictured during a old skit on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Contrary to Garrett’s claims that the mistreatment came from her, she suggested other employees were to blame.
‘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. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again,’ she wrote.
Earlier this week, it was reported that her show was now subject to a probe by WarnerMedia which will look into ‘staff experiences on set,’ according to an internal memo.
The memo insisted that producers Telepictures and Warner Bros. Television are committed ‘to providing an environment where employees can flourish.’
Earlier this month a number of employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show blasted it as a ‘toxic work environment.’
One current and 10 former employees of the daytime chat show accused the three executive producers, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner, of ‘bullying.’
A source told Buzzfeed: ‘The issue is these three executive producers running the show who are in charge of all these people [and] who make the culture and are putting out this feeling of bullying and being mean.’
‘They feel that everybody who works at The Ellen Show is lucky to work there: ‘So if you have a problem, you should leave because we’ll hire someone else because everybody wants to work here.”
Don’t talk to her: Although DeGeneres has not been accused of any wrongdoing, employees have claimed they were instructed not to talk to her if they saw her in the building
Although DeGeneres has not been accused of any wrongdoing, employees have claimed they were instructed not to talk to her if they saw her in the building.
A Black woman claimed she suffered a number of ‘microaggressions,’ her request for a raise was ignored and she was accused of ‘walking around looking resentful and angry’ after asking for staff members to undergo diversity and inclusion training.
Another former employee alleged they were fired after taking medical leave for one month following a suicide attempt.
‘You’d think that if someone just tried to kill themselves, you don’t want to add any more stress to their lives,’ they said.
Some high-profile figures have begun to come to Ellen’s defense in recent days, including Scooter Braun, the music manager for pop stars including Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.
The executive posted praise of Ellen to social media and called her a ‘kind, thoughtful, courageous human being.’
‘People love to take shots at people. They love to see people fall. How quickly so many forget. How easy it is to stay quiet when it doesn’t effect them. @TheEllenShow is a kind, thoughtful, courageous human being who stands for what is right and highlights on her show the best of us,’ he wrote.
‘She has helped change the views for equality all around the country and the world. She doesn’t do what is popular she does what is right. Her story shows us that. Her history provides us a better world. Today I’m sending love out to her. I know first hand how much she helps others both when we are all watching and when we are not. @theellenshow thank you for all you do and keep your head held high.’
Kind words: Some high-profile figures have begun to come to Ellen’s defense in recent days, including Scooter Braun, the manager for pop stars including Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande
To her defense: The executive posted praise of Ellen to social media and called her a ‘kind, thoughtful, courageous human being’; pictured in February