Tag: ellen degenerous
Ellen DeGeneres Thought Rumors She’s Mean Were ‘Just Sour Grapes’
Ellen DeGeneres ends every episode of her talk show with, “Be kind to one another,” but she has been hit with a number of allegations in recent weeks that she is mean to staffers, guests and other people behind-the-scenes.
“Ellen is at the end of her rope,” a source reveals exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly. “She thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters. But it’s not a passing thing — the hits just keep coming.”
It all started in April when beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager (a.k.a. NikkieTutorials) accused DeGeneres, 62, of being “cold and distant” when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January. That same month, the comedian came under fire for joking that being quarantined in her $27 million mansion during the coronavirus pandemic is “like being in jail.” In addition, Variety reported that the crew on DeGeneres’ show had been left in the dark about their jobs and pay during the global crisis, and her former bodyguard publicly called her “cold” and “dehumanizing.”
“Ellen’s so grateful to have Portia in her life as a soulmate and a sounding board, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy,” a second source tells Us. “Their home life is strained right now. … Her real friends never ask her to be funny or tell jokes. They accept her as is.”
And at the end of the day, DeGeneres’ ratings continue to soar, which indicates that the backlash has not affected her show.
“Ellen’s been in our homes for so long, it’ll take a lot more than a bodyguard and a blogger to change how people feel about her,” the second insider notes. “Her best response is just being happy Ellen on the show every day.”
Article via MSN
Ellen D. Runs Into LEGAL Trouble After $212,500 California Giveaway
The California Lottery thought gifting the audience of Ellen DeGeneres’s daytime talk show $212,500 worth of scratcher tickets was a good way to drum up publicity, but now state lawmakers are investigating whether it was a misuse of funds.
A report by The Los Angeles Times Thursday said that State Sen. Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar) has asked an auditor to look into the California State Lottery’s giveaway after a whistleblower complaint raised concerns about “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” promotion.
In early December, the lottery gifted the show 425 packets that each included 72 scratchers tickets with a face value of $500 per packet for an audience giveaway.
The giveaway was part of DeGeneres’ “12 Days of Giveaways” holiday promotion, during which she was joined by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel to reveal the gifts. In addition to the scratchers, DeGeneres and Kimmel gave the audience a $500 Visa gift card, $500 in beauty products, $300 in new clothes and a trip to a beach resort.
In 1984, California voters approved the lottery with the stipulation that 34% of sales revenue would go toward education. The whistleblower complaint was filed by employees at the California State Lottery. Chang said the lottery should have been reimbursed by “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” for the tickets.
“This concerns me because, bottom line, the mission of the California Lottery is to provide supplemental funding to California public schools,” Chang said. “I want to know how this contribution affects supplemental funding to California public schools. Does it help? I don’t think so.”
The complaint comes just a week before an auditor is set to release a report into the lottery. Chang requested the audit last year after the state lottery was accused of wasteful spending, improper gifts and nepotism.
Article via TheWrap