Producers of Ellen DeGeneres' eponymous talk show are hitting back at rumors that it's on the verge of getting the axe.
The Sun published a story on Wednesday claiming "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is facing possible cancelation due to lagging ratings and reports that the comedian is "rude" to her staff.
Ellen's production company, however, emphatically told the New York Post, "Telepictures can confirm it's untrue."
The 62-year-old actress may seem like the image of happiness and positivity on her talk show. However, claims of unkind behavior went viral in March after comedian Kevin T. Porter asked fans to tell their most "insane" stories of "Ellen being mean" — a long-running rumor in Hollywood circles. Kevin called Ellen "notoriously one of the meanest people alive."
Many obliged Kevin and came forward with stories detailing Ellen's alleged diva-like behavior. In early May, a former bodyguard described the talk show host as "very cold" and said "the way that she treats people other than those who are in her circle" is "actually kind of demeaning."
TV writer Ben Simeon said, "A new staff member was told, 'Every day she picks someone different to really hate. It's not your fault, just suck it up for the day and she'll be mean to someone else the next day.' They didn't believe it, but it ended up being entirely true."
Us Weekly reported on May 13 that, according to a source, Ellen was "at the end of her rope" regarding the claims that her super-nice public persona is all a sham.
"She thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters. But it's not a passing thing — the hits just keep coming," said the source.
In addition to the bad press, Ellen's ratings are said to be suffering while she, like many others, broadcasts from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" reportedly fell 14 percent to a new season 17 low rating of 1.2, according to TVNewsCheck.
Additionally, Ellen caught backlash for her since-deleted social media posts about the death of George Floyd. According to screengrabs, she referred to the Black community as "people of color."
Ellen has since donated to the George Floyd Memorial Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black Lives Matter and the ACLU.