“Ellen” Loses One Million Viewers Following Harassment Claims

Ellen DeGeneres‘s viewership has dipped by one million viewers following accusations of workplace harassment on the set.

Though the comedian and talk show host issued an apology back in September, the damage was already done. Several current and former staff members for the “Ellen” show said they had dealt with intimidation, fear, and racism. Multiple staff members even detailed sexual harassment that they experienced. An investigation conducted by Warner Bros. found “deficiencies” that resulted in the firing of executive producer Ed Glavin, co-executive producer Jonathan Norman, and head writer Kevin Leman.

“I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously,” DeGeneres said in her apology address, which attracted the highest ratings for the show’s premiere episode in four years.

According to Nielsen’s research firm, “Ellen” has now lost over a million viewers since the September episode, which seemed to show promising views. The show is averaging 1.5 million viewers over the last six months, a sharp decrease from its 2.6 million in the same period the previous year.

The decline in views has also impacted the daytime talk show’s ad earnings. From September to January of the 2019-20 season, “Ellen” raked in $131 million from advertisers. However, that number has dropped by 20 percent, bringing in just $105 million for the same time period in 2020-21.