Katy Perry Defends Her Friend Ellen, And Everyone’s Quick To Point Out She’s Missed The Point
Sure, staff have called out years of mistreatment, but Ellen was nice to one of the world's biggest pop-stars.
Amid rumours that Ellen will leave her long-standing talk show over allegations of her own not-so nice behaviour and the show’s broader toxic working conditions, Katy Perry has taken the time to say that DeGeneres has only ever been kind to her.
Perry took to Twitter to defend her friend, writing that while she knows she can’t “speak for anyone else’s experience”, she’s only ever had “positive takeaways” from appearing on Ellen and interacting with DeGeneres.
“I think we all have witnessed the light and continual fight for equality that she has brought to the world through her platform for decades,” she added. “Sending you love and a hug, friend @TheEllenShow”.
While Perry prefaced that this was just her own experience, she was criticised for defending Ellen at all, given that her encounters with the TV host would be very, very different from anyone who wasn’t, you know, among the world’s most famous people.
I feel like part of the reason Katy Perry may have had a more positive experience with Ellen DeGeneres than the interns and less-paid staff workers coming forward about their toxic work environment is because she's like…
Katy Perry https://t.co/VfVgy4Kz4B
— D'Angelo Wallace (@dangelno) August 4, 2020
Who’s a TV host that treats their staff wonderfully but is an absolute asshole to their celebrity guests
— Ira Madison III (@ira) August 5, 2020
Rachel Bloom, writer and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, chimed in with her experience of being in-front of and behind-the-scenes, saying the two differences are, obviously, “very different”.
“Just wanna say that I have both worked behind the scenes of TV shows and been the celebrity guest on them and the two experiences are very different,” she Tweeted. “Having a good time being a guest does not necessarily have anything to do with the experiences of the employees.”
“I’m not saying this to put anyone on blast, I just wanted to offer my POV as someone who’s had the amazing fortune to experience both worlds.”
Meanwhile, more former staff on the Ellen show are speaking out about negative experiences working there. It follows a BuzzFeed report from July detailing incidents of bullying and racist microaggressions prompted an internal investigation into the show’s working environment.
While multiple management staff have since been fired, there are rumours that Ellen herself will leave the show (and that James Corden could replace her).
replace ellen with jujubee
— Kev Berry (@KevGoshdarn) August 2, 2020
Former Ellen DJ Tony Okungbowa recently posted on Instagram that he was “grateful to the opportunity it afforded” him, but said he “did experience and feel the toxicity of the environment.”
“I stand with my former colleagues in their quest to create a healthier and more inclusive workplace as the show moves forward,” he wrote.
I’ll listen to the former employees over the celebrities saying they’ve only had great experiences on Ellen. https://t.co/pKj2xI4lJ2
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 4, 2020
Perry recently announced her fifth studio album, Smile, would be released August 28.