Crew members from Ellen DeGeneres' long-running daytime talk show are distressed and outraged over their treatment from top producers amid the coronavirus pandemic, numerous insiders affiliated with the series told Variety.
The core stage crew for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," consisting of more than 30 employees, received no written communication about the status of their working hours, pay or inquiries about their mental and physical health from producers for over a month, said two sources, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity. Higher-ups in production would occasionally answer phone calls but reveal little, added one of the sources. The crew was further incensed by the show's recent hire of an outside, non-union tech company to help DeGeneres tape remotely from her home in California.
When production executives finally did weigh in, nearly all crew members were told last week to brace for a 60 percent reduction in pay, even as the show continues to air, according to sources close to the matter.
Only four core crew members currently work on the remote version of the broadcast, added insiders, who find this treatment to be totally inconsistent with DeGeneres' daily message to her audiences: "be kind."
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