Report: The Ellen DeGeneres Show is struggling to book A-list guests and losing advertisers and viewers following its toxic workplace scandal

BuzzFeed News

Buzzfeed News' Krystie Lee Yandoli, who broke the story of Ellen's workplace harassment scandal over the summer, reports that employees told her the show is "losing advertisers, struggling to book A-list celebrities, and suffering a dip in ratings during what is usually the busiest time of year." The employees say it isn't the pandemic that has caused a drop in show's sponsors and advertisers. "In November 2019, the Ellen Show Instagram account featured 12 sponsored posts from eight different brands; in November 2020, the show's Instagram featured just six sponsored posts from two different brands: Hologic, a medical device company focusing on women's health, and Hyundai, which also sponsored this year's '12 Days of Giveaways,'" reports Yandoli. "The month of December is usually one of The Ellen Show’s busiest and most successful times of the year because of the '12 Days of Giveaways' segments that run on 12 episodes, promoting brands whose products are gifted to audience members. This year, the show is specifically giving gifts to frontline workers, first responders, medical workers, and families impacted by COVID-19. But a current employee said that even though the show recently instituted a small in-studio audience again, this year’s gifts aren’t on par with what it usually delivers." One employee also told her the show is struggling to book talent. "Earlier in the season, the team was encouraged to pitch ideas to the talent-booking team in a videoconference because the show was having a difficult time securing its usual A-list celebrities," reports Yandoli. Representatives for Warner Bros. declined to comment, but a source told her “advertising revenue for daytime TV has been impacted across the board” and “everything to do with the business climate” can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.