Katy Perry is the latest celebrity to speak out in defense of Ellen DeGeneres amid allegations made by current and former employees at The Ellen DeGeneres Show about the “toxic” work environment.
After the 62-year-old daytime talk show host’s wife, Portia de Rossi, took to Instagram to ask fans and friends to “stand by Ellen,” the 35-year-old pop star showed her support in a series of tweets.
“I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience besides my own but I want to acknowledge that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen and on the @theellenshow to the world through her platform for decades,” Perry wrote. “Sending you love and a hug, friend @TheEllenShow.”
1/2 I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience besides 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
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) August 4, 2020
2/2 to the world through her platform for decades. Sending you love & a hug, friend @TheEllenShow ♥️
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) August 4, 2020
On Monday, de Rossi spoke out for the first time amid the Ellen Show drama by Instagramming, “To all our fans….we see you. Thank you for your support. #stopbotattacks. #IStandWithEllenDeGeneres #IStandByEllen #IstandByEllenDeGeneres #ellendegeneres #ellen #theellenshow #ellenshow #bekindtooneanother.”
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To all our fans….we see you. Thank you for your support. #stopbotattacks . #IStandWithEllenDeGeneres #IStandByEllen #IstandByEllenDeGeneres . . #ellendegeneres #ellen #theellenshow #ellenshow #bekindtooneanother
A post shared by Portia de Rossi (@portiaderossi) on Aug 3, 2020 at 10:03am PDT
Jerry O’Connell reposted the “I Stand By Ellen” message, writing, “Love @TheEllenShow & @portiaderossi. Always have. Always will.”
Prior to de Rossi’s post, Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras, celebrated polo champion and famous friend of Prince Harry, took to Instagram to show his support for DeGeneres, and call on more of her famous friends to speak out in her defense, including Perry.
“I have been patiently waiting for someone with more authority than me to speak up about what a great human being @theellenshow is. I have been very lucky to be on that show many times and I can tell you that it is a very well run machine, everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved,” Figueras wrote in part, alongside a photo of him and DeGeneres. “I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters where she is nice to absolutely everyone, the guy serving the coffee, the person in the elevator, the security guy and the owner of the venue. Everyone loves her because that is who she is. She makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday and we cannot hit her because something may have not been perfect.”
He added, “So… We love Ellen right? @jenniferaniston @jlo @michelleobama @pink @seanhayes @ladygaga @oprah @katyperry @justintimberlake and whoever else should be on this list which is really long.”
I have been patiently waiting for someone with more authority than me to speak up about what a great human being @theellenshow is. I have been very lucky to be on that show many times and I can tell you that it is a very well run machine, everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved. I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters where she is nice to absolutely everyone, the guy serving the coffee, the person in the elevator, the security guy and the owner of the venue. Everyone loves her because that is who she is. She makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday and we cannot hit her because something may have not been perfect. No one is perfect, and we cannot control everything. So I stand for you my friend and I challenge all the amazing people that know you and call you a friend to say who you are. The world has become a very dangerous place because it seems that we cannot make anything right. If I am going to be criticized for defending someone that I think deserves to be defended then so be it. We are all so scared to say what we really think and it seems that we are only relevant if we say whatever the trending social media topic is. So… We love Ellen right? @jenniferaniston @jlo @michelleobama @pink @seanhayes @ladygaga @oprah @katyperry @justintimberlake and whoever else should be on this list which is really long.
A post shared by Ignacio Figueras (@nachofigueras) on Aug 2, 2020 at 8:26pm PDT
DeGeneres made headlines after Warner Bros. Television sent an internal memo late last month informing staffers that WarnerMedia would be seeking the services of an independent third-party firm, which will interview current and former employees about their experiences behind the scenes on the popular daytime talk show, after one current and 10 former employees anonymously spoke with BuzzFeed News about their negative experiences on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in an article published on July 16.
In an internal letter sent to show staff, obtained by 360aproko last Thursday, DeGeneres apologized and affirmed that she was committed to “having conversations about fairness and justice.”
In a statement to 360aproko, Warner Bros. offered more information on the internal investigation, saying that they, and DeGeneres, “take the recent allegations around the show’s workplace culture very seriously.”
“Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres are all committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion,” the statement read in part. We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.”
