2020 hasn’t exactly been a banner year for Ellen’s public image as dozens of people who work both for her and on her show have spoken with journalists, alleging everything from rudeness and not communicating with her employees during the pandemic to losing their jobs after taking medical leave and being targeted for sexual harassment by powerful and unaccountable producers.
But one person is publicly standing up for Ellen: her wife, Portia de Rossi.
Related: Ellen deletes vapid tweet on racial justice after blowback from fans
On Instagram, Portia posted a giant message: “I stand by Ellen.”
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“To all our fans….we see you. Thank you for your support,” she wrote in the caption.
Her hashtags, though, shed some light on where she’s coming from: #IstandbyEllen, #bekindtooneanother, and #stopbotattacks. The last one oddly suggests that the allegations are coming from bots and not real people.
The reactions to the message were not supportive.
“Have some accountability,” wrote one of her fans. “It isn’t made up when it’s dozens of employees and years of bad stories. stop acting like she is a victim when there are real victims.”
“Do you think those employees who are coming out and complaining are all liars?” asked another.
“It’s not bot attacks, her employees are speaking out,” wrote another commenter.
Out country musician Brandi Carlisle, though, expressed support for Ellen.
“Ellen has made my life so much easier for me and other LGBTQ people,” Carlisle wrote in a comment. “I’ll never stop being grateful for that, but more importantly she’s NEVER stopped making life better and easier for all kinds of people. This attack is unprecedented.”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show is currently under investigation by WarnerMedia for allegations that it’s a toxic work environment. Ellen has apologized to her employees and said that she’s “committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”