Ellen DeGeneres show sets premiere date. "And, yes, we're gonna talk about it," she says
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" will make its return on September 21 following allegations of workplace misconduct and a toxic work environment, and the ousting of three top producers after an internal investigation. DeGeneres announced her show's return in a statement, obtained by CBS News on Wednesday.
"I can't wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, we're gonna talk about it," DeGeneres said in the statement.
DeGeneres has been filming her show from home during quarantine.
The new season, season 18, will kick off with in-studio guest Tiffany Haddish. The premiere week will also feature Kerry Washington, Alec Baldwin, Chrissy Teigen, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Adam Sandler and Orlando Bloom, according to the statement.
The show's resident DJ, Stephen "tWitch" Boss will also guest-host upcoming episodes of the show this fall. Boss has guest-hosted previously, the statement reads.
Following the misconduct allegations last month, Boss was named a co-executive producer of the show, a representative for WarnerBros. confirmed to CBS News via email. That wasn't the only change made after numerous employees made accusations of misconduct and a toxic work environment, which were first reported by BuzzFeed News.
In August, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. confirmed to CBS News that top producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman parted ways with the show.
In an article published on July 16, BuzzFeed News spoke to one current and 10 former employees of the show who claimed they faced "racism, fear, and intimidation" in the workplace. A second article on July 30 raised multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Glavin, Leman and Norman.
In an emailed statement to CBS News on July 31, Leman said the BuzzFeed News article was "filled with false claims" and he "categorically" denied "any kind of sexual impropriety."
In a statement to CBS News following his firing in August, an attorney for Leman said: "The fact that a deeply flawed BuzzFeed article has led to the termination of an innocent man is shocking."
Glavin and Norman have not responded to CBS News' requests for comment. Norman denied all allegations against him in a statement to BuzzFeed.
While DeGeneres has yet to publicly address the misconduct allegations at her show, she did respond to allegations of racism and toxicity in a letter to her staff on July 30, which was obtained by CBS News. In the letter, DeGeneres said she had hoped the show would be a "place of happiness" where everyone would be "treated with respect" and was "disappointed to learn" that this "has not been the case."
DeGeneres said in her July letter, "My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. ... As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done. Clearly some didn't."
