Ellen DeGeneres' on-air apology mocked victims' trauma says former staff

Ellen DeGeneres opened the Season 18 premiere of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Monday with an apology following allegations of misconduct and toxicity in the work environment. But former and current staff members accused her of making a mockery out of the victims' experiences.

The talk show host started the segment by welcoming viewers to the new season and thanking those who watched because they love her. She then said "welcome" to those who watched because they "don't love me." The comedian also referred to the allegations when she told virtual viewers that she had a "super terrific" summer.

DeGeneres then turned serious and gave viewers advice to not go with the nickname "the be kind lady." Former employees claimed that DeGeneres turned the victims' trauma into a joke which is "inappropriate" especially when it concerns serious sexual misconduct allegations.

"Not only did Ellen turn my trauma, turn our traumas, into a joke, she somehow managed to make this about her," a staff member told Buzzfeed News.

Another former employee said that DeGeneres played the victim card when she sarcastically talked about her "great" summer.

"When she said, 'Oh, my summer was great' and that was supposed to be funny I thought, 'It's funny that you had a rough summer because everyone was calling out all of the allegations of your toxic work environment and now you're the one suffering?'"

Meanwhile, a current employee expressed frustration at the lack of communication about the new direction of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." The employee revealed that their duties had to be put "on-hold" until the host can deliver her on-air apology which seemed an insincere PR tactic to bring back viewers.

"It's always tactical. The average person will listen to it and make their own choices, but what people don't always take into account is that information is power, and she's sharing it now because it's for premiere week and it's to get viewers back, and that just feels the opposite of what this message is about," the employee said.

Despite the puns, the current employee finds it amazing that DeGeneres addressed the issue so openly. It is a shift from the previous environment on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" "where nothing is said and everyone keeps their head down."