- A woman claiming to be a former camera assistant on "
The Ellen DeGeneres Show " has compared the workplace culture on the show to the fashion comedy-drama "The Devil Wears Prada." - Speaking anonymously with the Australian radio show "Stav, Abby & Matt," she said: "I worked there for a little over a year. It's kind of like 'The Devil Wears Prada.' Everyone is trying to make it to the year."
- The former staffer also criticized celebrities who had come out in support of
Ellen DeGeneres , saying: "People likeAshton Kutcher andKaty Perry have no idea what it's like to be an Ellen staffer. It's really unfair that they say things like 'she treated me with respect.' I was not treated in any way similar to how Ashton Kutcher was treated on this show." - It is unknown whether B105 was able to verify her identity.
A woman claiming to be a former camera assistant on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" has compared the workplace culture on the show to the ruthless fashion comedy-drama "The Devil Wears Prada."
Speaking anonymously with the Australian radio show "Stav, Abby & Matt" on B105, the former staffer said: "I worked there for a little over a year. It's kind of like 'The Devil Wears Prada.' Everyone is trying to make it to the year," she said in reference to the Meryl Streep film about a demanding fashion magazine editor who is cruel to her assistants.
It is unknown whether B105 was able to verify her identity.
The former camera assistant, who said she chose to leave the show, said it was a "badge of honor" to make it through a year with DeGeneres and "have it on your résumé." She said that staff members were expected to work grueling 10-hour shifts but that the complaints went further than that.
"It's about certain basic rights," she told the radio show. "Like you're asking to be paid for your overtime or you're asking for water on a hot day on a hot set, and you're being told things like: 'If you don't like it here, there's the door.'"
She continued: "You're constantly told there's a line out the door for your job and if you don't like it here, you can leave."
When asked about her response to the host of celebrities who had recently come out in support of the daytime host, the former staffer said it was "disappointing" that people were not believing the people speaking out and "telling their truth."
She said: "People like Ashton Kutcher and Katy Perry have no idea what it's like to be an Ellen staffer, and it's really unfair that they say things like 'she treated me with respect.' I was not treated in any way similar to how Ashton Kutcher was treated on this show."
The former camera assistant said she "wasn't even allowed in the same room" as DeGeneres. "Most people are told when Ellen enters the room you and your entire crew need to leave," she said. "Sometimes her bodyguards come forward first and you kind of see them and you know to leave and that's it."
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is being investigated by its distributor, Warner Bros. Television, following several allegations from former staffers about instances of bullying, sexual misconduct, and racial discrimination.
In a letter to staff obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, DeGeneres responded to the allegations. She apologized, writing that she was "disappointed" to hear that some members of her team were not treated with respect, and she took "full responsibility" for the situation.