Ellen DeGeneres 'Hated’ Male Staffers Speaking to Wife Portia de Rossi on Set, Says Former Employee

Ellen DeGeneres continues to face shocking allegations from ex-employees.

A former cameraman who spent over a decade working on The Ellen DeGeneres Show told a news outlet that the talk show host, 67, “hated male staffers chatting” with her wife, Portia de Rossi. According to the source, de Rossi, 52, had a special seat reserved for her at tapings, marked by a “gold plaque.”

“'And listen — you knew, if you see that golden plaque, stay the h--- away. Portia was nice, she would say ‘Hi.’ But Ellen, she would be in her chair, it would be a commercial break, and if she didn't know you, she would ask about you,” he explained. “You just hoped and prayed you weren't seated by her wife, so you didn't get her attention.”

The cameraman said employees tried to avoid the comedian's “death stare,” where her eyes “would get more narrow [and] her cheekbones would stick out.”

“'If she stayed looking at you, that was bad,” he recounted. “If she looked away from you, you were probably liked — you were probably ok.”

The employee also claimed a high-ranking producer was forced to reschedule their child’s major surgery to suit DeGeneres’ schedule.

“The kid had a major surgery — like a bone marrow transplant. It was asked of this particular person if the kid's 'thing' — that's what they referred to it as — was the same week as the Christmas holiday week,” the source explained in an interview published on Tuesday, August 26. “This was a person pretty high up. This person was asked if they could move the procedure around the Christmas holiday week, for Ellen.”

The employee said DeGeneres “got exactly what she wanted,” adding, “It was all loyalty to the show, but no loyalty to staff.”

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ran for 19 seasons, airing from 2003 to 2022. The end of the show followed a July 2020 Buzzfeed News report, where current and former employees recounted hostility on set, including being penalized for taking medical leave, instances of racial microaggressions and a fear of retribution for raising complaints.

“I really didn’t understand it; I still don’t understand it,” the Louisiana native said of the drama during an appearance on the Today show in May 2021. “It was too orchestrated; it was too coordinated.”

She continued, “For me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is and what a happy place this is.”