Andy Lassner, the most visible executive producer on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," has admitted that the last few months have been "rough."
Following a five-week social media hiatus, Andy returned to Instagram on Aug. 30 to post a video with the caption, "I've missed my people."
"Oh look who it is. If it isn't Andy Lassner," he opened the video. "Well, yes it is. Your eyes do not deceive you. I'm back. I've been away for a little bit dealing with, you know, some stuff. You may have read about it."
"It's been a couple of rough months. But it's when we go through these things, I guess, when we learn the most about ourselves, and maybe even some growth," he continued. "But to tell you it hasn't been rough would be a lie, and I've always been honest with you. It's been rough. But I'm back."
There's no doubt that it's been a trying time for Ellen and her eponymous talk show amid allegations that she's demeaning toward staff and that "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" fosters a toxic work environment.
On Aug. 17, Variety reported that "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" had parted ways with three senior producers — executive producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman — in the wake of ongoing criticism. Andy survived the producer purge.
In the wake of the show shakeup, Ellen reportedly apologized to her staff, saying she's "not perfect." According to People magazine, Ellen held a Zoom call with staff on Aug. 17, telling them, "I'm a multi-layered person, and I try to be the best person I can be and I try to learn from my mistakes. I'm hearing that some people felt that I wasn't kind or too short with them, or too impatient. I apologize to anybody if I've hurt your feelings in any way."