A spokesperson for Warner Bros Television, which distributes The Ellen DeGeneres Show, told Variety: “Our executive producers and Telepictures are committed to taking care of our staff and crew and have made decisions first and foremost with them in mind.”
They also reiterated the crew had been paid consistently during the pandemic, at reduced hours.
Ellen’s former bodyguard Tom Majercak called the talk show host “cold” and “demeaning” after working with her at the 2014 Oscars.
Speaking to Fox News, Majercak said: “Ellen is the one person that I’ve been assigned to – and I’ve been assigned to quite a few celebrities – that has never taken the time to say hi to me.
“[She] pretty much just gave me a side glance out of her eye and didn’t even say ‘hello,’ or ‘thank you for protecting my mother, my wife and me’.
“It was very cold and it was very sly and it was actually kind of demeaning in the way that she treats people other than those who are in her circle.”