- Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman, and Jonathan Norman have all left their positions as executive producers on “The Ellen Show” following WarnerMedia’s internal investigation into the workplace culture, a company spokesperson confirmed to Insider.
- According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen DeGeneres told staff of the changes in a Zoom call, saying: “This show would not be what it is without all of you.”
- The announcement comes after BuzzFeed News published an investigation into the show’s alleged toxic environment last month.
- Several former employees told BuzzFeed they had experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct or unfair treatment.
- Glavin, Leman, and Norman were accused of sexual harassment and intimidation by former employees. Leman and Norman deny all the accusations made against them, while Glavin has yet to respond.
- Insider has contacted all three for comment.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Three of the top producers on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” have left as WarnerMedia continues its investigation into the alleged toxic workplace.
A Warner Bros. spokesperson confirmed to Insider that three producers – Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman, and Jonathan Norman – had parted ways with the show.
The news comes after former employees told journalists that they had experienced sexual harassment and intimidation working on the show.
Leman and Norman deny all the accusations made against them, while Glavin has yet to respond.
The three producers did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment for this article.
DeGeneres herself announced the staffing changes in a Zoom call on Monday with all of the show's staff, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
Per THR, DeGeneres said: "I feel like I've kind of let the ball drop a bit because I'm focused on the show, I go in and I do the show, and I've just let everybody to do their jobs - to run different departments. And it just became a well-oiled machine, and I think that is the problem."
"It's not a machine. This is people. These are human beings that are working hard every single day to put this together. This show would not be what it is without all of you."
The announcement comes after BuzzFeed News published an investigation into the show's working environment last month.
Glavin, Leman, and Norman were all accused of misconduct by unnamed former employees, with one telling BuzzFeed News that Glavin had a "handsy" reputation and would touch employees in a way that made them feel uncomfortable.
Another told BuzzFeed that Norman, who was co-executive producer and music producer, offered free concert tickets before attempting to perform oral sex on him.
At the time of BuzzFeed's report, Norman denied all of these allegations, telling Insider: "I am 100% categorically denying these allegations. I have never had a single complaint of any misconduct against me in my career. Period. I have never 'groomed' anyone."
He said: "I am aware of the campaign in the press going on about our show, but I will not allow my name to be slandered, or have my sexuality brought into question by former employees maliciously gossiping about the show and the staff. I am married to my wife of 18 years, with three children. This accusation simply never happened, and it will be proven."
BuzzFeed's report also said that Leman was accused of attempting to solicit oral sex from employees, and generally making them feel uncomfortable.
Michael Plonsker, Leman's attorney, said in a statement seen by The Hollywood Reporter: "The fact that a deeply flawed BuzzFeed article has led to the termination of an innocent man - a popular figure and a creative force behind the Ellen show and a string of other projects produced with Ellen - is shocking. Kevin is devastated by being scapegoated and is not yet ready to comment."
BuzzFeed's reporting triggered WarnerMedia's investigation, which is said to be nearing its end
In an email to staff on August 13, seen by The Independent, the company said: "We are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show's day-to-day management."
Not all of the allegations have yet been corroborated, however. The investigation has yet to find instances of racial discrimination, the report said.
DeGeneres previously apologized to her staff in a letter. DeGeneres said that she wasn't able "to stay on top of everything" and therefore "relied on others to do their jobs."
"Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again."
Along with the announced departure of Glavin, Leman, and Norman, it was announced that executive producers Mary Connelly and Andy Lassner will be staying at the show, while the show's DJ, Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, is being promoted to co-executive producer.
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