Breitbart News reports that The Ellen DeGeneres Show is suffering a loss of on-air guests and advertising dollars, and is facing a ratings crash months after accusations that LGBT advocate and host Ellen DeGeneres fostered a toxic workplace where harassment was rampant.
In November 2019, the show’s Instagram account featured 12 sponsored posts from eight different brands; a year later, it featured just six sponsored posts from two different brands. In another sign of decline, the high-end gifts given to the in-house audiences, especially during the Christmas shows, are of far lesser quality and fewer in quantity because of the lack of sponsors.
With ratings falling, the booking agents are also avoiding Ellen. “The feedback we’ve been getting is that Ellen is no longer a first choice for talent,” said one publicist.
Ellen DeGeneres went into damage control this year after nearly a year of negative reports about the toxic workplace many say she fostered on her show. She kicked off her new season with an apology and promised a “new chapter” in her show. But Nielsen ratings have declined 37% from last season. The 2020 season’s debut, for example, earned 1.7 million viewers compared to the 2.7 million for last year’s.
There was also a shuffling of producers and others behind the scenes. In one case, executive producer Ed Glavin, departed the show in the wake of allegations that he was involved in multiple cases of intimidation and racism, as well as overseeing the toxic work environment.
“All of these shows are perpetuated by money. When the money dries up, the show dries up,” warned the publicist. “It doesn’t matter how great you are. If you can’t get advertisers to buy in, that’s the final line.”