Ellen DeGeneres addresses toxic workplace scandal ahead of show finale

nypost.com:

infamous toxic workplace scandal that saw three of her most senior staffers axed from “The Ellen Show.”The comic is preparing to take to the stage at Warner Bros lot in Burbank, Calif., one last time to wrap up her hit talk show on Thursday after 19 seasons on air.DeGeneres refused to go off air without briefly touching on the controversy that rocked her popular show in 2020 — including claims she was rude to staffers. “I have to just trust that whatever happened during that time, which was obviously very, very difficult, happened for a reason,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.“I think that I learned a lot, and there were some things that came up that I was shocked and surprised by.

It was eye-opening, but I just trust that that had to happen.”DeGeneres was famously slammed by past and present employees with accusations of enabling a “toxic culture” when the cameras weren’t rolling — plunging her signature phrase “be kind to one another” into doubt.She found herself engulfed in accusations of bullying behavior by not only staffers, but past guests and even fellow celebs – with some insisting her mean nature is common knowledge among the Hollywood elite.

Calling the controversy a “very, very difficult” time, the 64-year-old told the outlet that she has been “crying every day” while taping episodes of her final season.“Whatever happened during that time, which was obviously very, very difficult, happened for a reason.”The 33-time Emmy Award winner revealed she has been trying to keep the last two weeks of filming “fun,” in a bid to combat her “struggle with anxiety and depression.”Calling the scandal “unfortunate,” DeGeneres said, “It is what it is — you go through stuff in life and you just keep learning and growing..