Shutterstock
Portia de Rossi Says Ellen DeGeneres Is ‘Doing Great’ As She Plans to Go Back to Work Amid Scandal
Taking the heat. Portia de Rossi revealed wife Ellen DeGeneres is staying strong as she prepares to go back to work following allegations of workplace misconduct.
“[She’s] doing great,” the 47-year-old told a photographer while walking her dogs in Santa Barbara, California, on Sunday, August 9, in a video obtained by Page Six. When asked if the comedian plans to continue hosting The Ellen DeGeneres Show she simply responded, “Yes, she is.”
On July 19, DeGeneres, 62, and her producers were accused of workplace misconduct in a shocking Buzzfeed News article. The piece detailed the experiences of many former employees who claimed they felt constant fear and encountered acts of racism while working on set. Although they acknowledged the “toxic” environment was caused by high-ranking employees and not DeGeneres personally, they said she is still at fault.
After WarnerMedia launched an investigation into the claims, DeGeneres broke her silence in a letter addressed to her staff on July 30. She promised to ensure “this does not happen again” in the update obtained by Us Weekly.
DeGeneres and her team are planning to go back to the office in the coming days after producers held a staff meeting on August 3. “They said a lot of [the claims are] true and a lot of it is not true. They said we are handling everything [and] things will be very different now,” an insider recalled of their briefing to Us. “A show that brings so much happiness and fun, it should be a happy show to work on. It was a pep talk and made some staffers feel better.”
Despite the recent allegations, the Arrested Development actress “believes” the Finding Nemo alum’s “side of things” and “she’s standing by her,” a source exclusively told In Touch.
“Portia’s had her fair share of issues with Ellen, but she’s not going to abandon her wife over this,” the insider continued. While de Rossi is “appalled by the accusations,” the source adds, “Who knows what the future might hold, but for right now, Portia is one hundred percent behind Ellen.”
Although DeGeneres’ fate may be unclear at the moment, her wife definitely has her back.
Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.
